Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Addis Ababa

For one person, living is cheaper in Addis Ababa: $1,306 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Addis Ababa
Learn more

Addis Ababa Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Addis Ababa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,306

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Addis Ababa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,306 in Addis Ababa.

Sofia $1,585
Addis Ababa $1,306

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,918 in Addis Ababa.

Sofia $2,486
Addis Ababa $1,918

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,531 in Addis Ababa.

Sofia $3,387
Addis Ababa $2,531

Living in Sofia is roughly 21% more expensive than in Addis Ababa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Addis Ababa is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.09 ETB 658

305.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$41.97 ETB 6,748

61.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.59 ETB 1,060

77.24%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$0.94 ETB 152

262.77%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.60 ETB 96.2

293.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.64 ETB 103

160.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$0.79 ETB 127

405.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.31 ETB 372

96.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.06 ETB 170

83.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.17 ETB 188

32.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.90 ETB 305

23.68%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.73 ETB 279

165.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.49 ETB 1,204

53.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$10.20 ETB 1,641

-15.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.96 ETB 1,441

93.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$5.23 ETB 841

-58.89%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.64 ETB 103

209.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.24 ETB 360

-18.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.70 ETB 112

510.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.47 ETB 75.2

121.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.09 ETB 176

-18.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.70 ETB 112

70.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.57 ETB 92.0

45.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$7.99 ETB 1,284

-44.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$5.56 ETB 895

33.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.70 ETB 113

65.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.23 ETB 197

54.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.49 ETB 78.1

87.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$21.46 ETB 3,450

30.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.29 ETB 207

29.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.27 ETB 43.01

214.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.02 ETB 325

721.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.91 ETB 146

91.21%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$55.2K ETB 8.9M

-45.77%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$55.1K ETB 8.9M

-54.57%

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

$158 BGN 275

$205 ETB 33.0K

-23.15%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.50 ETB 1,206

183.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$216 ETB 34.7K

-92.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$44.62 ETB 7,175

5.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$36.90 ETB 5,933

-24.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$3.83 ETB 615

161.10%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$610 ETB 98.1K

33.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$20.2K ETB 3.2M

-27.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$32.49 ETB 5,224

168.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$70.1 ETB 11.3K

-45.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$80.9 ETB 13.0K

30.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$91.2 ETB 14.7K

17.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$698 ETB 112.2K

10.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$388 ETB 62.4K

52.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$2,281 ETB 366.7K

-32.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$767 ETB 123.4K

38.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,967 ETB 316.2K

130.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$994 ETB 159.9K

212.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$208 ETB 33.5K

754.06%

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 Addis Ababa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Addis Ababa

$388 29.7% 34.5% $205

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Addis Ababa

$210 16.1% 27% $78

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Addis Ababa

$77 5.9% 69.5% $176

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Addis Ababa

$429 32.8% 121% $234

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Addis Ababa

$124 9.5% 18.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Addis Ababa

$52 4% 21.8% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Addis Ababa

$26 2% 31% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $698 in Addis Ababa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 8.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $42 in Addis Ababa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $210 per month, with Addis Ababa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇹 Addis Ababa

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,500,000 Capital

💱 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 →

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Sofia Addis Ababa 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
Addis Ababa

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 Addis Ababa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,306 in Addis Ababa, so Addis Ababa is about 18% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 8.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $698 in Addis Ababa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,306 in Addis Ababa – Addis Ababa is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Addis Ababa runs roughly 24% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Addis Ababa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Addis Ababa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.