Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Cairo $1,431

Sofia costs about 147% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$4.69 E£245

264.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$28.49 E£1,491

134.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.03 E£315

95.19%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.81 E£94.7

88.95%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.35 E£18.18

591.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.15 E£7.95

1140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.45 E£76.0

129.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.24 E£117

102.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$0.97 E£50.7

97.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.73 E£37.96

106.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$0.77 E£40.24

187.01%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.17 E£61.2

276.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$4.32 E£226

167.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$5.07 E£265

73.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$8.92 E£467

90.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.83 E£95.8

18.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$0.75 E£39.07

172.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$0.57 E£29.78

222.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$0.51 E£26.62

741.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.38 E£20.05

171.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.42 E£21.88

121.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.35 E£18.43

242.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.24 E£12.57

283.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$1.99 E£104

116.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.48 E£391

-2.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.52 E£79.4

-22.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.13 E£112

-12.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.33 E£17.10

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$8.66 E£453

224.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.37 E£19.27

370.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.20 E£10.65

380.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$1.49 E£77.8

942.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$0.46 E£23.94

289.13%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-8.11%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-7.14%

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

$156 BGN 273

$27.54 E£1,441

466.30%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$8.27 E£432

156.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$14.05 E£735

11.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$28.27 E£1,479

65.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$6.70 E£350

314.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$4.40 E£230

127.73%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$121 E£6,356

530.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$3,619 E£189.3K

253.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$40.16 E£2,101

123.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$49.61 E£2,596

-17.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$115 E£6,033

-8.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$60.6 E£3,170

72.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$220 E£11.5K

262.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$194 E£10.2K

212.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$514 E£26.9K

204.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$334 E£17.5K

217.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$806 E£42.2K

440.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$513 E£26.9K

533.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$200 E£10.5K

769.00%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 68% $413

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 50.8% $146

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 64.4% $165

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 74.1% $143

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 22.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 44.5% $30

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 70.3% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $220 in Cairo. 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 769% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 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 10, 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Cairo 1,570 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 147%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 103% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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.

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