Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malabo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Malabo: $673 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Malabo

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$673

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $673 per month in Malabo vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Malabo $673
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,117 per month in Malabo vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Malabo $1,117
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,560 per month in Malabo vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Malabo $1,560
Sofia $3,324

Malabo is about 58% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Malabo sits 50% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.70 FCFA 5,088

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-49.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.6 FCFA 40.7K

$66.9 BGN 117

3.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.65 FCFA 5,060

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-26.51%

Cappuccino

$4.79 FCFA 2,804

$3.42 BGN 5.99

40.06%

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

$0.84 FCFA 491

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-65.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-77.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.69 FCFA 989

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-49.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

Milk (1 liter)

$2.73 FCFA 1,596

$1.92 BGN 3.36

42.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 FCFA 1,025

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-20.81%

Eggs

$3.70 FCFA 2,165

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-15.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.75 FCFA 3,948

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-41.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.02 FCFA 3,522

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-31.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.08 FCFA 4,142

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-58.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 FCFA 1,385

$2.17 BGN 3.79

9.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 FCFA 1,027

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.47 FCFA 2,615

$4.30 BGN 7.53

3.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 FCFA 822

$1.18 BGN 2.06

18.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 FCFA 521

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-52.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.74 FCFA 1,020

$0.87 BGN 1.52

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.67 FCFA 15.6K

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-5.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 FCFA 485

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-52.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 FCFA 528

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-6.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.72 FCFA 5,103

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-43.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

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

$32.6K FCFA 19.1M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

8.61%

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

$29.1K FCFA 17.0M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

10.24%

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

$156 BGN 273

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

$17.56 FCFA 10.3K

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-17.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.07 FCFA 9,986

$15.64 BGN 27.37

9.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 FCFA 20.0K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-26.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.84 FCFA 8,685

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-46.50%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 FCFA 3,173

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-45.91%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$344 FCFA 201.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-97.31%

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)

$223 FCFA 130.4K

$607 BGN 1,063

-63.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$346 FCFA 202.3K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-77.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$285 FCFA 166.7K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-73.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$841 FCFA 492.3K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-80.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$648 FCFA 378.9K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-80.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

2.89

135.29%

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

Last update for Malabo: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malabo

–

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Groceries & Markets

Malabo

–

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Eating Out

Malabo

–

Sofia

$256 16%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malabo

–

Sofia

$193 12%

Clothing & Footwear

Malabo

–

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Malabo

–

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Getting Around

Malabo

–

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $70.0 in Malabo versus $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $152 in Malabo vs $287 in Sofia – so Malabo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Malabo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:17 6:17 AM

08:17 8:17 AM

2 h ahead of Malabo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

297,000 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 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 XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malabo Sofia 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Malabo
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

Malabo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $673 in Malabo, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 136% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,009 per month in Malabo and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Malabo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 89% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Malabo, where all-in costs run around $673, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Malabo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $673 in Malabo to $1,589 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Malabo. 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.