Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Al Kharijah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Kharijah: $434 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 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
21

Cost of Living Index in Al Kharijah
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Al Kharijah Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Al Kharijah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$434

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Al Kharijah

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $434 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Al Kharijah $434

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $701 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Al Kharijah $701

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $968 in Al Kharijah, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Al Kharijah $968

Sofia costs about 268% more than Al Kharijah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Al Kharijah is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.68

$3.72 E£208

355.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$15.43 E£860

342.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.33

$4.81 E£268

141.58%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$1.25 E£69.8

174.40%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.10

$0.32 E£18.12

631.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.21

$0.13 E£7.05

1307.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.96

$1.37 E£76.2

148.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.77

$2.82 E£157

57.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.44

$0.86 E£48.03

129.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.61

$0.66 E£36.95

125.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.08

$0.64 E£35.48

264.06%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.72

$1.21 E£67.2

264.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.20

$3.15 E£176

266.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.53

$4.12 E£230

115.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.64

$8.11 E£452

115.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.52 E£84.7

41.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.62

$0.67 E£37.57

208.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$0.45 E£25.03

328.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.43

$0.35 E£19.54

1114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.32 E£17.83

221.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.31 E£17.11

183.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$0.27 E£15.17

340.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.21 E£11.58

323.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.40

$1.95 E£109

116.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.77

$6.12 E£341

28.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$1.19 E£66.5

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.31

$2.01 E£112

-5.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$0.21 E£11.69

342.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.52

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$0.36 E£20.31

366.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.69

$0.21 E£11.93

357.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.88

$1.26 E£70.1

1119.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.10

$0.45 E£25.25

293.33%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

$32.0K E£1.8M

-4.60%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.9K

$25.2K E£1.4M

-0.52%

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

$157 BGN 275

$15.38 E£858

921.33%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.95

$6.66 E£371

217.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.80

$13.41 E£748

14.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 81.2

$15.90 E£887

191.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 49.15

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.56

$2.90 E£162

246.21%

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

$775 BGN 1,356

$84.9 E£4,737

812.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.9K

$1,888 E£105.3K

564.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 154

$16.86 E£940

422.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.4

$44.97 E£2,508

-7.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 187

$116 E£6,485

-8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 186

$55.0 E£3,066

93.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,347

$131 E£7,300

488.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,054

$76.9 E£4,289

683.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,737

$253 E£14.1K

517.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,813

$146 E£8,137

610.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,992

$766 E£42.7K

495.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,534

$352 E£19.6K

798.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,048

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

16.21

-82.17%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Al Kharijah: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Al Kharijah

$77 17.7% 87.2% $525

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Al Kharijah

$120 27.5% 58.9% $171

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Al Kharijah

$73 16.9% 71.1% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Al Kharijah

$35 8.2% 81.7% $158

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Al Kharijah

$105 24.2% 31.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Al Kharijah

$22 5% 67.4% $45

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Al Kharijah

$2.3 * 0.5% 94.1% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $131 in Al Kharijah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $15 in Al Kharijah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $120 – making Al Kharijah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇬 Al Kharijah

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

83,108

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Al Kharijah 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Al Kharijah

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 Al Kharijah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 268%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $651 in Al Kharijah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Kharijah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $131 there versus $770 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,600 in Sofia and $434 in Al Kharijah. That’s a gap of about 268%.

Kindergarten costs $775 per month in Sofia and $85 in Al Kharijah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Kharijah, where all-in costs run around $434, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Al Kharijah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al Kharijah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.