Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Accra

For one person, living is cheaper in Accra: $1,073 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Accra
Learn more

Accra Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Accra

🇬🇭 Ghana

$1,073

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Accra

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Accra actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,073 in Accra, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Accra $1,073

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,700 in Accra, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Accra $1,700

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,327 in Accra, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Accra $2,327

Sofia costs about 48% more than Accra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Accra is 20% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$8.11 GHS 95.1

110.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$51.8 GHS 608

29.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$10.46 GHS 123

12.52%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$4.51 GHS 52.9

-24.17%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.54 GHS 18.10

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.45 GHS 5.24

313.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.86 GHS 21.84

79.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.24 GHS 26.29

102.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$3.61 GHS 42.37

-46.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.59 GHS 18.64

-5.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.19 GHS 37.42

-30.72%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.58 GHS 30.24

70.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$11.93 GHS 140

-3.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.02 GHS 82.3

25.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$9.91 GHS 116

71.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.69 GHS 43.24

-41.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.40 GHS 16.41

45.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.78 GHS 20.85

3.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.68 GHS 43.12

16.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.64 GHS 31.00

-60.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.62 GHS 30.68

-64.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.76 GHS 8.86

57.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.59 GHS 6.97

55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.50 GHS 29.32

72.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.33 GHS 86.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.28 GHS 14.99

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.29 GHS 26.89

-18.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.47 GHS 17.28

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$40.26 GHS 472

-30.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.72 GHS 20.23

1.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.25 GHS 14.70

-23.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$4.16 GHS 48.79

273.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.28 GHS 15.06

39.84%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$8,061 GHS 94.6K

271.93%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$9,921 GHS 116.4K

165.77%

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

$156 BGN 273

$74.8 GHS 877

108.64%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$18.90 GHS 222

12.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$41.82 GHS 491

-62.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$71.6 GHS 840

-34.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$18.07 GHS 212

53.51%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$12.59 GHS 148

-20.41%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$470 GHS 5,510

63.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$18.6K GHS 218.4K

-31.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$14.28 GHS 167

528.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$18.36 GHS 215

122.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$36.02 GHS 423

194.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$52.4 GHS 615

99.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$691 GHS 8,109

15.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$280 GHS 3,286

116.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,092 GHS 12.8K

43.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$467 GHS 5,480

126.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$2,799 GHS 32.8K

55.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,424 GHS 16.7K

128.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$175 GHS 2,048

896.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

26.75

-89.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Accra: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Accra

$280 26.2% 53.9% $327

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Accra

$277 25.9% 3.6% $10

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Accra

$172 16.1% 32.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Accra

$135 12.7% 29.7% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Accra

$54 5.1% 64.5% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Accra

$97 9% 44.9% $30

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Accra

$54 5.1% 41.9% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $691 in Accra. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 897% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $52.0 in Accra. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $277 – making Accra the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇬🇭 Accra

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

2,388,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 GHS = 8.53 USD

100 GHS = 7.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.73 GHS (100 GHS = 8.53 USD). 1 EUR = 13.16 GHS (100 GHS = 7.6 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Accra 4,730 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Accra

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

Sofia vs Accra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,073 in Accra – roughly 48% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,610 in Accra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Accra, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $52.0 in Accra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Accra, where all-in costs run around $1,073, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Accra 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 $1,073 in Accra 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 Accra. 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.