Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Adama

For one person, living is cheaper in Adama: $1,024 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Adama
Learn more

Adama Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Adama

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,024

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Adama

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 Adama actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,024 in Adama, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Adama $1,024

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,683 in Adama, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Adama $1,683

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,341 in Adama, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Adama $2,341

Sofia costs about 55% more than Adama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Adama is 24% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.08 ETB 495

437.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$43.10 ETB 6,931

57.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.92 ETB 791

137.40%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$0.89 ETB 143

283.15%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.59 ETB 95.1

300.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.31 ETB 50.4

438.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$0.82 ETB 131

386.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.30 ETB 370

96.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.77 ETB 124

151.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.21 ETB 194

28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.11 ETB 340

11.37%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.74 ETB 280

164.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.60 ETB 1,222

50.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$10.14 ETB 1,630

-14.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.37 ETB 1,506

85.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$5.48 ETB 882

-60.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.64 ETB 103

209.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.21 ETB 356

-17.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.67 ETB 107

537.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.49 ETB 79.2

112.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.05 ETB 169

-15.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.64 ETB 103

85.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.57 ETB 92.1

45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.85 ETB 1,262

-43.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$5.47 ETB 880

35.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.68 ETB 109

70.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.26 ETB 203

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.29 ETB 207

29.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.29 ETB 46.98

193.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$1.97 ETB 317

742.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.95 ETB 153

83.16%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$54.1K ETB 8.7M

-44.67%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$55.7K ETB 9.0M

-55.11%

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

$158 BGN 275

$204 ETB 32.8K

-22.63%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.15 ETB 1,150

197.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$209 ETB 33.7K

-92.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$3.68 ETB 592

171.74%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$625 ETB 100.4K

30.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-51.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$33.64 ETB 5,409

158.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$71.0 ETB 11.4K

-46.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$79.4 ETB 12.8K

33.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$82.0 ETB 13.2K

30.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$349 ETB 56.2K

120.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$201 ETB 32.4K

194.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,015 ETB 163.3K

50.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$793 ETB 127.5K

33.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$101 ETB 16.2K

1663.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

18.5

-84.38%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Adama: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Adama

$201 19.7% 66.1% $392

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Adama

$210 20.5% 27% $78

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Adama

$62 6.1% 75.4% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Adama

$420 41.1% 117% $226

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Adama

$120 11.7% 21.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Adama

$7.4 * 0.7% 89% $59

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Adama

$2.8 * 0.3% 92.7% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $349 in Adama. 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 $68 in Sofia versus $43 in Adama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $210 – making Adama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇹 Adama

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

228,623

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Adama 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Adama

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 Adama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,024 in Adama – Adama comes out roughly 35% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,536 in Adama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Adama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $349 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $43 in Adama. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,024 in Adama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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