Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mumbai (Bombay) and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay): $769 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Mumbai (Bombay)
Learn more

Mumbai (Bombay) Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Mumbai (Bombay)

🇮🇳 India

$769

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $769 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Mumbai (Bombay) $769
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,281 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,281
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,793 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Mumbai (Bombay) $1,793
Sofia $3,324

Living in Mumbai (Bombay) costs roughly 52% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mumbai (Bombay) is 43% below, Sofia is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 ₹512

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-69.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.16 ₹2,048

$66.9 BGN 117

-68.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.08 ₹394

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-65.34%

Cappuccino

$2.61 ₹253

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-23.68%

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

$0.36 ₹35.00

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-85.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 ₹12.56

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-93.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.63 ₹255

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-21.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 ₹398

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-9.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 ₹70.5

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-61.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 ₹48.39

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-66.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 ₹73.6

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-65.61%

Eggs

$1.00 ₹96.9

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-77.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.56 ₹538

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-51.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.60 ₹349

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-59.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ₹208

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-0.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 ₹69.8

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 ₹120

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-32.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.50 ₹48.21

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-88.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.34 ₹32.59

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-66.99%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₹35.51

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-60.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 ₹42.60

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.87

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-69.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.08 ₹491

$4.30 BGN 7.53

18.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 ₹805

$7.33 BGN 12.83

13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 ₹188

$1.18 BGN 2.06

64.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹297

$1.87 BGN 3.28

64.17%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.16 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹21.29

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-74.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.61 ₹543

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-80.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.31 ₹29.53

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-82.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ₹31.47

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-65.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 ₹149

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-90.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 ₹111

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-35.75%

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

$15.7K ₹1.5M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-47.54%

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

$21.8K ₹2.1M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-17.22%

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

$60.7 ₹5,877

$156 BGN 273

-61.07%

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

$4.39 ₹425

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-79.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.80 ₹852

$15.64 BGN 27.37

-43.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.08 ₹2,525

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-44.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 ₹1,277

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-52.45%

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 ₹434

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-55.19%

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

$114 ₹11.0K

$766 BGN 1,341

-85.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,082 ₹491.9K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-60.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.13 ₹3,497

$89.7 BGN 157

-59.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.96 ₹3,867

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.5 ₹5,270

$106 BGN 186

-48.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.98 ₹4,644

$105 BGN 183

-54.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 ₹57.9K

$796 BGN 1,393

-24.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$344 ₹33.3K

$607 BGN 1,063

-43.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,797 ₹173.9K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

14.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$866 ₹83.8K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-18.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,811 ₹562.3K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

33.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,418 ₹234.0K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-25.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$768 ₹74.4K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-55.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.29

2.89

186.85%

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

Last update for Mumbai (Bombay): October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mumbai (Bombay)

$344 44.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 76.5% $263

Groceries & Markets

Mumbai (Bombay)

$116 15.1%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 148% $171

Eating Out

Mumbai (Bombay)

$109 14.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 134% $147

Clothing & Footwear

Mumbai (Bombay)

$80 10.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 91.2% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mumbai (Bombay)

$74 9.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 161% $119

Sport & Entertainment

Mumbai (Bombay)

$35 4.6%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 90.5% $32

Getting Around

Mumbai (Bombay)

$8.4 1.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 353% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $598 in Mumbai (Bombay) and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 126% 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: $21.00 in Mumbai (Bombay) vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $116 vs $287 per month, with Mumbai (Bombay) cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Mumbai (Bombay)

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

2 h 30 min behind Mumbai (Bombay)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,442,373

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mumbai (Bombay) Sofia 5,310 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mumbai (Bombay)
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

Mumbai (Bombay) vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mumbai (Bombay) and Sofia differ by about 107% in total monthly costs ($769 vs $1,589 including rent). Mumbai (Bombay) is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 126% 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $598 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 148% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Mumbai (Bombay) – a meal for two runs $21.00 versus $67.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $769 in Mumbai (Bombay) versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Mumbai (Bombay) but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Mumbai (Bombay) the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Mumbai (Bombay) 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 Mumbai (Bombay) gentler on the wallet – expenses run 107% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.