Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mahdia and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
Learn more

Mahdia Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mahdia 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 Mahdia and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $557 per month in Mahdia vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Mahdia $557
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $881 per month in Mahdia vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Mahdia $881
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Mahdia vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Mahdia $1,206
Sofia $3,361

Mahdia is about 65% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mahdia sits 59% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 TND 7.44

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-85.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.01 TND 59.9

$65.8 BGN 115

-69.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.84 TND 14.49

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-57.24%

Cappuccino

$0.96 TND 2.89

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-72.01%

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

$0.57 TND 1.72

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-76.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 TND 0.56

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-89.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.03 TND 3.07

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-72.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 TND 4.52

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-67.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.43 TND 1.30

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-78.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.26 TND 0.78

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-83.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 TND 4.13

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-40.77%

Eggs

$1.53 TND 4.58

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-64.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.75 TND 35.19

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-0.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.96 TND 14.87

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-43.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.46 TND 43.29

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.56

$2.15 BGN 3.74

33.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 TND 8.55

$1.98 BGN 3.44

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 TND 4.32

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-25.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 TND 2.15

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-83.02%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 TND 1.94

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.34 TND 1.03

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 TND 1.29

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-62.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-65.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.53 TND 10.56

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-16.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.35 TND 10.04

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-55.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 TND 4.88

$1.15 BGN 2.01

41.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 TND 3.75

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-32.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 TND 0.95

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-63.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.33 TND 39.92

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-53.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 TND 0.93

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-81.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.26 TND 0.77

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-72.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 TND 2.64

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-47.93%

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

$40.9K TND 122.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

37.20%

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

$40.1K TND 120.0K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

53.34%

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

$56.3 TND 169

$156 BGN 272

-63.91%

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

$7.15 TND 21.41

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-66.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.10 TND 60.2

$15.24 BGN 26.51

31.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.52 TND 61.5

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-55.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.69 TND 23.03

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-72.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 TND 20.36

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-33.20%

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

$109 TND 326

$774 BGN 1,347

-85.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$985 TND 2,951

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-92.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.98 TND 114

$89.9 BGN 157

-57.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.80 TND 98.2

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-20.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 TND 230

$105 BGN 183

-26.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$23.51 TND 70.4

$107 BGN 186

-77.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$130 TND 390

$783 BGN 1,362

-83.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$100 TND 301

$597 BGN 1,038

-83.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$292 TND 875

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-80.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 TND 523

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-83.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 TND 2,022

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-84.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$201 TND 602

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-93.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$232 TND 695

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-86.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

2.89

257.44%

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

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mahdia

$188 33.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 54.3% $102

Accommodation & Living

Mahdia

$100 18%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 495% $496

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mahdia

$84 15%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 131% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Mahdia

$77 13.8%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 100% $77

Eating Out

Mahdia

$57 10.3%

Sofia

$255 16% 346% $198

Sport & Entertainment

Mahdia

$34 6.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 94.8% $32

Getting Around

Mahdia

$16 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 137% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $130 in Mahdia versus $783 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 648% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Mahdia versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $188 vs $290 – making Mahdia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:58 2:58 PM

16:58 4:58 PM

2 h ahead of Mahdia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,545

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇳 Tunisian Dinar (د.ت)

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to TND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mahdia Sofia 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mahdia
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

Mahdia vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 186%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $835 per month in Mahdia and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahdia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $109 per month in Mahdia and $774 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mahdia, where all-in costs run around $557, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Mahdia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mahdia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mahdia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.