Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niamey and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Niamey: $1,338 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Niamey
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Niamey Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Niamey

🇳🇪 Niger

$1,338

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Niamey versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Niamey $1,338
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,732 in Niamey versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Niamey $1,732
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,125 in Niamey versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Niamey $2,125
Sofia $3,324

Living in Niamey costs roughly 16% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Niamey 0% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.54 F CFA 3,829

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-61.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.86 F CFA 22.7K

$66.9 BGN 117

-41.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 F CFA 5,665

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-17.76%

Cappuccino

$3.10 F CFA 1,815

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-9.36%

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

$1.47 F CFA 858

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-39.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.95 F CFA 555

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-48.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.34 F CFA 781

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-59.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 F CFA 1,727

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.48 F CFA 1,453

$1.92 BGN 3.36

29.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 F CFA 336

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-62.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 F CFA 982

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-23.98%

Eggs

$2.18 F CFA 1,276

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-50.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 F CFA 3,480

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-32.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.61 F CFA 4,453

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-55.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 F CFA 2,088

$2.17 BGN 3.79

64.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 F CFA 941

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 F CFA 1,649

$1.84 BGN 3.22

53.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 971

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-61.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 F CFA 855

$1.03 BGN 1.80

41.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 F CFA 412

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-24.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 F CFA 521

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-25.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 F CFA 626

$0.92 BGN 1.62

16.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 F CFA 1,536

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-39.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.94 F CFA 8,158

$7.33 BGN 12.83

90.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 F CFA 801

$1.18 BGN 2.06

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 F CFA 2,006

$1.87 BGN 3.28

83.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 F CFA 214

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 F CFA 264

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-74.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 F CFA 213

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-62.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.81 F CFA 5,155

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-43.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 F CFA 545

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-48.04%

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

$20.8K F CFA 12.2M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-30.56%

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

$24.4K F CFA 14.3M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-7.52%

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

$171 F CFA 99.9K

$156 BGN 273

9.50%

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

$17.34 F CFA 10.1K

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-18.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$88.1 F CFA 51.6K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

463.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$75.6 F CFA 44.2K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

61.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$5.17 F CFA 3,027

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-48.40%

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

$1,044 F CFA 610.9K

$766 BGN 1,341

36.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,311 F CFA 2.5M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-66.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 F CFA 41.3K

$89.7 BGN 157

-21.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$87.9 F CFA 51.4K

$40.88 BGN 71.5

115.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$52.5 F CFA 30.7K

$106 BGN 186

-50.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.9 F CFA 40.3K

$105 BGN 183

-34.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 F CFA 560.6K

$796 BGN 1,393

20.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$526 F CFA 307.7K

$607 BGN 1,063

-13.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 F CFA 469.1K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-48.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$428 F CFA 250.2K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-59.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,754 F CFA 1.0M

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-59.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$982 F CFA 574.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-69.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$400 F CFA 233.8K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-77.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

211.42%

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

Last update for Niamey: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Niamey

$526 38.4%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 15.5% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niamey

$276 20.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 30.2% $83

Groceries & Markets

Niamey

$209 * 15.3%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 37.2% $78

Eating Out

Niamey

$141 10.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 81.8% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Niamey

$126 9.2%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 21.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Niamey

$86 6.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 22.3% $19

Getting Around

Niamey

$3.7 * 0.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 923% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $958 in Niamey and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 335% 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: $39.00 in Niamey vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $209 vs $287 per month, with Niamey cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇪 Niamey

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

2 h ahead of Niamey

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,026,848 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

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

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Niamey Sofia 3,830 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Niamey
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

Niamey vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Niamey wins on cost – living expenses run 19% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Niamey the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 335% 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: $958 in Niamey versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,338 per month in Niamey versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 19% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,338 in Niamey versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Niamey but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Niamey the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Niamey delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,338 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Niamey hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Niamey 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 Niamey gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.