Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Carthage

For one person, living is cheaper in Carthage: $693 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Carthage
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Carthage Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Carthage

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Carthage

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $693 in Carthage.

Sofia $1,594
Carthage $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,100 in Carthage.

Sofia $2,478
Carthage $1,100

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $1,508 in Carthage.

Sofia $3,361
Carthage $1,508

Living in Sofia is roughly 130% more expensive than in Carthage, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Carthage is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$4.09 TND 12.26

312.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$22.71 TND 68.0

189.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.89 TND 17.65

92.19%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.15 TND 3.44

198.26%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.73 TND 2.20

230.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.29 TND 0.88

537.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.70 TND 5.08

117.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.05 TND 6.14

123.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.49 TND 1.46

312.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.26 TND 0.78

500.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.78 TND 5.33

30.90%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.84 TND 5.50

136.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.20 TND 30.56

15.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.74 TND 17.21

53.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.42 TND 43.20

21.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.31 TND 3.92

64.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$3.65 TND 10.93

-45.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.17 TND 3.49

64.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.83 TND 2.48

410.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.90 TND 2.70

15.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.69 TND 2.07

23.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.53 TND 1.60

116.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.34 TND 1.03

161.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.59 TND 10.75

17.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.62 TND 19.82

12.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.23 TND 3.68

-6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.24 TND 3.72

49.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.43 TND 1.30

102.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$13.96 TND 41.82

104.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.92

441.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.34 TND 1.03

176.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$1.78 TND 5.34

762.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.88 TND 2.63

92.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$39.9K TND 119.4K

-25.25%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.4K TND 106.1K

-26.25%

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

$156 BGN 272

$45.22 TND 135

245.16%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.23 TND 27.63

133.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.98 TND 62.9

-27.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$32.18 TND 96.4

43.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$13.26 TND 39.70

110.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.17 TND 15.49

96.91%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$104 TND 311

644.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$3,218 TND 9,637

297.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$43.72 TND 131

105.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$59.3 TND 178

-30.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$114 TND 340

-7.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$67.7 TND 203

57.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$211 TND 633

270.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$154 TND 463

286.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$209 TND 625

626.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$272 TND 815

278.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$972 TND 2,911

347.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$622 TND 1,862

411.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$269 TND 807

543.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.28

-71.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Carthage: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Carthage

$154 22.3% 74.1% $442

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Carthage

$194 28% 33.2% $97

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Carthage

$81 11.7% 68.2% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Carthage

$75 10.9% 60.9% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Carthage

$128 18.5% 17.2% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Carthage

$43 6.1% 36% $24

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Carthage

$18 2.6% 53.8% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $211 in Carthage. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 544% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $23.00 in Carthage for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $194 per month, with Carthage cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Carthage

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

21,276

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Carthage 1,280 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Carthage

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 Carthage: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Carthage differ by about 130% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $693 including rent). Carthage is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 544% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $211 in Carthage. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Carthage – a meal for two runs $23.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $693 in Carthage versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Carthage but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Carthage 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 Carthage are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Carthage gentler on the wallet – expenses run 130% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.