Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Sofia $3,380

Mersa Matruh is about 71% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mersa Matruh sits 66% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$16.96 BGN 29.68

-75.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$68.3 BGN 119

-72.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$11.62 BGN 20.33

-59.38%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$3.43 BGN 6.01

-62.97%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$2.34 BGN 4.10

-85.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$1.83 BGN 3.21

-93.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$3.41 BGN 5.96

-60.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$4.44 BGN 7.77

-37.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.97 BGN 3.44

-55.84%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$1.49 BGN 2.61

-55.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$2.33 BGN 4.08

-72.10%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$4.41 BGN 7.72

-73.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$11.54 BGN 20.20

-67.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$8.88 BGN 15.53

-52.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$17.51 BGN 30.64

-47.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$2.15 BGN 3.76

-28.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$2.07 BGN 3.62

-63.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$1.93 BGN 3.39

-71.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$4.25 BGN 7.43

-91.76%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-74.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-65.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$1.19 BGN 2.08

-77.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-75.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$4.23 BGN 7.40

-56.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$7.87 BGN 13.77

-27.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.18 BGN 2.07

5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$1.89 BGN 3.31

20.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$0.93 BGN 1.63

-77.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$1.68 BGN 2.94

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$0.96 BGN 1.69

-82.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$15.36 BGN 26.88

-92.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.77 BGN 3.10

-75.71%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

6.52%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$25.1K BGN 43.9K

7.96%

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

$14.05 E£784

$157 BGN 275

-91.06%

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

$6.68 E£373

$21.12 BGN 36.95

-68.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$15.32 BGN 26.80

-11.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$46.39 BGN 81.2

-65.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 49.15

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$10.04 BGN 17.56

-71.02%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$775 BGN 1,356

-89.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$12.5K BGN 21.9K

-83.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$88.1 BGN 154

-61.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$41.39 BGN 72.4

10.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$107 BGN 187

19.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$106 BGN 186

-45.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$770 BGN 1,347

-83.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$602 BGN 1,054

-87.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$1,564 BGN 2,737

-83.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$1,036 BGN 1,813

-86.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$4,567 BGN 7,992

-83.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$3,162 BGN 5,534

-88.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$1,742 BGN 3,048

-94.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

2.89

638.06%

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

Last update for Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 130% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 29.4% $35

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 230% $177

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 685% $525

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 465% $159

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 206% $45

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 1628% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $770 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 in Sofia are about 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $291 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:43 9:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

1 h behind Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Sofia 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 250% more than Mersa Matruh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $2,400 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $770 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mersa Matruh. 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.