Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lome and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Lome: $557 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Lome
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Lome Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Lome

🇹🇬 Togo

$557

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lome and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lome and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $557 in Lome versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Lome $557
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $980 in Lome versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Lome $980
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,404 in Lome versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Lome $1,404
Sofia $3,324

Living in Lome costs roughly 65% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lome is 58% below, Sofia is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.94 F CFA 1,718

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-82.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.61 F CFA 17.9K

$66.9 BGN 117

-54.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.64 F CFA 3,301

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-52.08%

Cappuccino

$5.65 F CFA 3,307

$3.42 BGN 5.99

65.20%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.22 F CFA 2,470

$2.42 BGN 4.23

74.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 F CFA 407

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-62.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.96 F CFA 560

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-71.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 F CFA 1,018

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-61.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.22 F CFA 1,302

$1.92 BGN 3.36

15.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 F CFA 795

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 F CFA 872

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-32.58%

Eggs

$2.04 F CFA 1,194

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-53.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.70 F CFA 3,334

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-66.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 F CFA 1,710

$2.17 BGN 3.79

34.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 976

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-18.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 F CFA 1,489

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-40.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 F CFA 1,024

$1.03 BGN 1.80

69.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 F CFA 692

$0.93 BGN 1.62

26.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 F CFA 487

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-9.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

Wine (Bottle)

$4.85 F CFA 2,835

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-33.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 F CFA 640

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 F CFA 820

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 F CFA 714

$0.96 BGN 1.68

27.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.24 F CFA 2,482

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-72.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 F CFA 720

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-31.28%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$146 F CFA 85.6K

$156 BGN 273

-6.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$21.33 F CFA 12.5K

$21.21 BGN 37.11

0.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.15 F CFA 24.7K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

169.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.5 F CFA 35.4K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

29.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.77 F CFA 5,132

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-68.39%

Cinema Ticket

$4.22 F CFA 2,467

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-57.88%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$766 BGN 1,341

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,196 F CFA 699.6K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-23.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 F CFA 172.2K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-72.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$295 F CFA 172.7K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-83.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Lome: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lome

$210 37.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 8.1% $17

Groceries & Markets

Lome

$140 * 25%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 105% $147

Eating Out

Lome

$136 24.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 88% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Lome

$69 12.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Lome

$6.1 * 1.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 526% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Lome

- * 0%

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Accommodation & Living

Lome

- * 0%

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Sofia pays 489% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $31.00 in Lome vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $140 vs $287 per month, with Lome cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇬 Lome

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

3 h ahead of Lome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

837,437 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lome Sofia 4,610 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Lome
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Lome vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lome wins on cost – living expenses run 185% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Lome the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 489% lower in Sofia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

All in, you'll spend $557 per month in Lome versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 185% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Supermarket bills run roughly 105% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $557 in Lome versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Lome but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Lome the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Lome delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $557 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Lome hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lome and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Lome gentler on the wallet – expenses run 185% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.