Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Centurion

For one person, living is cheaper in Centurion: $1,377 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Centurion
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Centurion Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Centurion

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,377

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Centurion

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,377 in Centurion.

Sofia $1,594
Centurion $1,377

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,224 in Centurion.

Sofia $2,478
Centurion $2,224

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,071 in Centurion.

Sofia $3,361
Centurion $3,071

Living in Sofia is roughly 16% more expensive than in Centurion, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Centurion 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$22.13 R 365

-23.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$40.73 R 671

61.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.76 R 95.0

96.53%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.57 R 42.33

33.46%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.94 R 15.52

156.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.87 R 14.35

112.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.10 R 34.57

76.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.45 R 40.42

86.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 R 20.27

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.22 R 20.11

27.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.17 R 35.83

7.37%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.07 R 50.6

42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.79 R 161

20.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.92 R 114

27.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$7.29 R 120

139.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.82 R 29.92

18.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.80 R 29.64

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.12 R 34.88

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.08 R 34.20

103.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.52 R 24.98

-31.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.85 R 30.44

-54.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.35 R 22.24

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.46 R 23.99

-39.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.77 R 62.1

11.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.90 R 97.1

26.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.59 R 26.20

-27.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.02 R 33.27

-8.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.47 R 40.75

-64.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$97.9 R 1,613

-70.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.22 R 20.14

37.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.23 R 20.20

-23.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$8.89 R 146

72.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.50 R 24.75

12.67%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$35.9K R 591.7K

-17.02%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.1K R 528.7K

-18.56%

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

$156 BGN 272

$137 R 2,260

13.75%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$30.65 R 505

-29.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$40.07 R 660

-61.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$43.79 R 721

5.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$10.73 R 177

-5.13%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$314 R 5,174

146.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,299 R 70.8K

197.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$58.5 R 965

53.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$43.75 R 721

-5.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$117 R 1,925

-10.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$103 R 1,699

3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$345 R 5,689

126.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$371 R 6,115

60.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$575 R 9,479

163.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$896 R 14.8K

14.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$518 R 8,536

739.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$612 R 10.1K

419.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,342 R 38.6K

-25.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.5

-72.48%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Centurion: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Centurion

$371 27% 37.8% $226

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Centurion

$225 16.3% 22.6% $66

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Centurion

$248 18% 2.7% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Centurion

$208 15.1% 7.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Centurion

$145 10.5% 6.1% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Centurion

$65 4.7% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Centurion

$115 8.4% 200% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $345 in Centurion. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Centurion pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $41.00 in Centurion for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $225 per month, with Centurion cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇦 Centurion

🕒 Local time

00:02 12:02 AM

23:02 11:02 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

236,580

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Centurion 7,640 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Centurion

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 Centurion: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Centurion wins on cost – living expenses run 16% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Centurion the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Centurion. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $345 in Centurion. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Centurion runs roughly 243% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $314 in Centurion. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,377 in Centurion versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Centurion but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Centurion the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Centurion delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,377 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Centurion hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Centurion 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 Centurion gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.