Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $721 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Mombasa vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Mombasa $721
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,150 per month in Mombasa vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Mombasa $1,150
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,578 per month in Mombasa vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Mombasa $1,578
Sofia $3,387

Mombasa is about 55% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mombasa sits 47% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 KES 357

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-83.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 KES 3,303

$67.7 BGN 118

-62.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 KES 1,335

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-11.99%

Cappuccino

$2.68 KES 348

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-21.41%

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

$0.69 KES 89.5

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-70.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.4

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-68.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 304

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-41.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 KES 430

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-26.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 KES 127

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-49.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.8

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-67.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 KES 199

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-34.89%

Eggs

$1.76 KES 228

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-61.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 KES 1,808

$11.47 BGN 19.96

21.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 KES 642

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-42.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.41 KES 703

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-68.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-2.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 KES 154

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-39.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$1.83 BGN 3.18

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.2

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-83.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-30.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$0.89 BGN 1.54

19.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.1

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-49.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.6

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-49.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 KES 532

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-6.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,241

$7.42 BGN 12.91

28.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 KES 250

$1.16 BGN 2.01

65.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 KES 371

$1.90 BGN 3.30

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-13.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.88 KES 5,049

$28.11 BGN 48.91

38.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$1.67 BGN 2.90

89.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.85 BGN 1.49

105.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 KES 611

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-71.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-8.05%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-60.56%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-51.37%

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

$79.4 KES 10.3K

$158 BGN 275

-49.68%

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

$9.00 KES 1,168

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-57.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 KES 4,583

$15.12 BGN 26.30

133.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.93 KES 2,329

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-61.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 KES 2,496

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-30.91%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 KES 1,980

$10.00 BGN 17.39

52.50%

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

$87.3 KES 11.3K

$815 BGN 1,419

-89.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,448 KES 707.5K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-62.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.90 KES 1,675

$87.1 BGN 152

-85.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.67 KES 1,775

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-64.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.36 KES 3,033

$106 BGN 184

-77.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.73 KES 6,068

$107 BGN 187

-56.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 KES 29.7K

$769 BGN 1,338

-70.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 KES 20.5K

$593 BGN 1,032

-73.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 KES 69.2K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-65.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 KES 48.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-64.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,392 KES 700.1K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

19.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 KES 497.9K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.7K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-82.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

349.83%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.7%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 55.2% $102

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$158 21.9%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 275% $435

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$124 17.2%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 57% $71

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15%

Sofia

$254 16% 135% $145

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 30.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 38% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 250% $109

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $229 in Mombasa versus $769 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 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mombasa versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $288 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:34 7:34 AM

06:34 6:34 AM

1 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Sofia 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
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

Mombasa vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Mombasa, $1,585 in Sofia – Mombasa comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Mombasa and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mombasa and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $721 in Mombasa and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Mombasa about 55% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mombasa – 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 Mombasa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.