Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Antananarivo

For one person, living is cheaper in Antananarivo: $649 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Antananarivo
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Antananarivo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Antananarivo

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$649

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Antananarivo

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $649 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Antananarivo $649

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,001 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Antananarivo $1,001

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,354 in Antananarivo, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Antananarivo $1,354

Sofia costs about 144% more than Antananarivo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Antananarivo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.60 MGA 11.9K

537.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$19.83 MGA 90.7K

241.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.38 MGA 24.6K

117.10%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.60 MGA 7,329

113.12%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.76 MGA 3,478

210.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.42 MGA 1,897

297.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$0.97 MGA 4,435

311.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.16 MGA 9,857

109.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.92 MGA 4,226

110.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.01 MGA 4,626

53.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.69 MGA 3,176

240.58%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.00 MGA 9,136

130.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.31 MGA 38.0K

38.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.44 MGA 20.3K

94.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$4.68 MGA 21.4K

270.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.04 MGA 4,745

106.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.53 MGA 2,434

273.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.99 MGA 4,542

84.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.82 MGA 3,763

420.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.58 MGA 2,657

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.91 MGA 4,149

-2.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.35 MGA 1,577

240.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.70 MGA 3,218

18.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.58 MGA 7,208

178.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$4.94 MGA 22.6K

50.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.98 MGA 4,480

18.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.77 MGA 8,112

7.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.12 MGA 561

666.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.41 MGA 15.6K

-51.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.24 MGA 10.2K

-62.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.53 MGA 20.7K

266.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.16 MGA 5,312

50.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$11.6K MGA 53.1M

157.54%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$24.8K MGA 113.6M

0.67%

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

$158 BGN 275

$73.6 MGA 336.4K

114.54%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$16.88 MGA 77.2K

26.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$56.2 MGA 257.1K

-73.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$28.59 MGA 130.7K

63.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$7.13 MGA 32.6K

290.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.47 MGA 25.0K

82.82%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$24.67 MGA 112.8K

3205.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$27.3K MGA 124.8M

-46.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$28.87 MGA 132.0K

201.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$26.99 MGA 123.4K

41.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$75.0 MGA 343.0K

40.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$67.7 MGA 309.3K

58.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$320 MGA 1.5M

140.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$149 MGA 679.2K

299.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$726 MGA 3.3M

110.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$319 MGA 1.5M

232.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$669 MGA 3.1M

576.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$574 MGA 2.6M

441.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$130 MGA 596.3K

1264.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

15.75

-81.65%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Antananarivo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Antananarivo

$149 22.9% 75% $445

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Antananarivo

$139 21.5% 51.5% $148

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Antananarivo

$70 10.8% 72.4% $184

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Antananarivo

$147 22.6% 24.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Antananarivo

$89 13.8% 41.3% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Antananarivo

$40 6.1% 40.9% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Antananarivo

$15 * 2.3% 60% $23

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 $320 in Antananarivo. 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 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $20 in Antananarivo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $139 – making Antananarivo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇬 Antananarivo

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,274,225 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Malagasy Ariary MGA Ar

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD

10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MGA, 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).

Malagasy Ariary exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,572 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,132 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Antananarivo 7,290 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Antananarivo

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 Antananarivo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 144%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $973 in Antananarivo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Antananarivo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $320 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $649 in Antananarivo. That makes Antananarivo about 59% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $25 in Antananarivo. 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 Antananarivo, where all-in costs run around $649, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Antananarivo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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