Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Brazzaville

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brazzaville outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Brazzaville
Learn more

Brazzaville Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Brazzaville

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Brazzaville

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,931 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Brazzaville $1,931

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,959 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Brazzaville $2,959

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $3,986 in Brazzaville, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Brazzaville $3,986

Sofia is about 18% cheaper than Brazzaville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sofia and Brazzaville sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Brazzaville by 44%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$8.22 FCFA 4,812

108.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$49.75 FCFA 29.1K

34.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$4.85 FCFA 2,839

142.68%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$4.05 FCFA 2,370

-15.56%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.59 FCFA 929

52.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.31 FCFA 766

41.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$5.58 FCFA 3,264

-40.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.69 FCFA 2,157

22.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.75 FCFA 1,608

-30.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$4.81 FCFA 2,813

-68.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.00 FCFA 1,754

-26.33%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.87 FCFA 1,678

53.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$16.06 FCFA 9,399

-28.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$9.45 FCFA 5,527

-6.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$14.39 FCFA 8,422

17.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.42 FCFA 1,413

-10.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.75 FCFA 1,022

16.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.57 FCFA 2,089

-48.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.91 FCFA 1,701

47.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.58 FCFA 1,509

-60.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.35 FCFA 1,376

-60.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.36 FCFA 796

-11.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.83 FCFA 487

10.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.73 FCFA 2,181

15.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$10.38 FCFA 6,075

-29.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.25 FCFA 145

248.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$23.00 FCFA 13.5K

22.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.73 FCFA 1,011

0.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.31 FCFA 768

-26.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$6.75 FCFA 3,946

130.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.36 FCFA 798

31.62%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$29.5K FCFA 17.2M

1.80%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$26.9K FCFA 15.7M

-2.04%

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

$156 BGN 273

$839 FCFA 491.1K

-81.42%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$17.27 FCFA 10.1K

22.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$42.17 FCFA 24.7K

-62.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$26.27 FCFA 15.4K

78.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$13.90 FCFA 8,133

99.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$5.60 FCFA 3,279

78.93%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$52.2 FCFA 30.5K

1369.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,175 FCFA 687.2K

-32.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$451 FCFA 264.1K

34.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$3,203 FCFA 1.9M

-51.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,449 FCFA 848.0K

-26.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,458 FCFA 2.0M

26.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,979 FCFA 1.7M

9.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$451 FCFA 264.1K

285.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.54

-55.81%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Brazzaville: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Brazzaville

$451 23.4% 25.7% $156

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Brazzaville

$338 * 17.5% 17.5% $50

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Brazzaville

$176 9.1% 31.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Brazzaville

$899 46.5% 366% $706

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Brazzaville

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Brazzaville

$37 1.9% 43.9% $29

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Brazzaville

$32 1.7% 15.4% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,175 in Brazzaville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 285% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $50.0 in Brazzaville. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Sofia vs $338 in Brazzaville – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇬 Brazzaville

🕒 Local time

14:13 2:13 PM

12:13 12:13 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,932,610 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Brazzaville 5,290 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Brazzaville

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 Brazzaville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brazzaville costs about 22% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $2,897 in Brazzaville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $50.0 in Brazzaville. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $1,931 in Brazzaville. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Brazzaville at $1,931. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brazzaville it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $1,931 in Brazzaville. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Brazzaville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.