Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Antsirabe

For one person, living is cheaper in Antsirabe: $449 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Antsirabe
Learn more

Antsirabe Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Antsirabe

🇲🇬 Madagascar

$449

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Antsirabe

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $449 in Antsirabe.

Sofia $1,585
Antsirabe $449

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $676 in Antsirabe.

Sofia $2,486
Antsirabe $676

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $903 in Antsirabe.

Sofia $3,387
Antsirabe $903

Living in Sofia is roughly 253% more expensive than in Antsirabe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Antsirabe is 67% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$1.13 MGA 5,170

1366.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$15.58 MGA 71.2K

334.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.42 MGA 24.8K

115.50%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.34 MGA 6,139

154.48%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.74 MGA 3,379

218.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.45 MGA 2,046

271.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$0.98 MGA 4,467

307.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.23 MGA 10.2K

103.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.93 MGA 4,253

108.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.98 MGA 4,462

58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.74 MGA 3,363

217.57%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.06 MGA 9,405

123.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.21 MGA 37.5K

39.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.48 MGA 20.5K

93.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$4.67 MGA 21.3K

271.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.03 MGA 4,706

108.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.53 MGA 2,402

273.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.03 MGA 4,700

77.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.86 MGA 3,932

396.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.59 MGA 2,717

76.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.97 MGA 4,423

-8.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.34 MGA 1,569

250.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.46 MGA 2,101

80.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.51 MGA 6,896

191.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$4.92 MGA 22.5K

50.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.04 MGA 4,747

11.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.81 MGA 8,295

4.97%

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

$3.25 MGA 14.9K

-48.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.95 MGA 8,912

-56.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.29 MGA 19.6K

286.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.15 MGA 5,240

51.30%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$11.7K MGA 53.3M

156.94%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$25.1K MGA 114.6M

-0.22%

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

$158 BGN 275

$73.0 MGA 333.8K

116.19%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$16.25 MGA 74.3K

30.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$54.6 MGA 249.7K

-72.33%

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

$5.40 MGA 24.7K

85.19%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$24.09 MGA 110.1K

3284.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$14.8K MGA 67.6M

-1.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$28.66 MGA 131.0K

203.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$26.64 MGA 121.8K

43.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$74.6 MGA 341.1K

41.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$66.6 MGA 304.2K

61.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

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

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 Antsirabe: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Antsirabe

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Antsirabe

$137 30.6% 52.3% $151

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Antsirabe

$56 12.4% 78.1% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Antsirabe

$144 32% 25.9% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Antsirabe

$88 19.7% 41.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Antsirabe

$11 * 2.4% 83.8% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Antsirabe

$13 * 2.9% 65.5% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $16 in Antsirabe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $137 per month, with Antsirabe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇬 Antsirabe

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

246,354

💱 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 = 4,571 MGA (10,000 MGA = 2.19 USD). 1 EUR = 5,133 MGA (10,000 MGA = 1.95 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Antsirabe 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Antsirabe

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 Antsirabe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Antsirabe is about 72% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $673 in Antsirabe to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 110% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $449 in Antsirabe – Antsirabe is about 72% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $449 in Antsirabe versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Antsirabe but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Antsirabe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Antsirabe are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.