Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Chilanga

For one person, living is cheaper in Chilanga: $592 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Chilanga
Learn more

Chilanga Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Chilanga

🇿🇲 Zambia

$592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Chilanga

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $592 in Chilanga.

Sofia $1,594
Chilanga $592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $941 in Chilanga.

Sofia $2,478
Chilanga $941

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $1,290 in Chilanga.

Sofia $3,361
Chilanga $1,290

Living in Sofia is roughly 169% more expensive than in Chilanga, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Chilanga is 56% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$5.68 ZMW 113

197.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$30.64 ZMW 610

114.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.00 ZMW 99.5

126.40%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.86 ZMW 56.9

19.93%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.80 ZMW 15.85

201.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.46 ZMW 9.21

302.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

198.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.22 ZMW 44.19

106.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.72 ZMW 34.30

17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.23 ZMW 24.46

26.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.14 ZMW 42.58

8.88%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.01 ZMW 39.92

116.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.58 ZMW 211

11.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.27 ZMW 125

40.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$6.61 ZMW 132

164.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.43 ZMW 68.3

-37.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.38 ZMW 47.42

-16.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.72 ZMW 74.0

-48.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.54 ZMW 30.59

175.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.64 ZMW 52.5

-60.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.80 ZMW 35.83

-52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.11 ZMW 22.01

3.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.76 ZMW 15.11

17.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.09 ZMW 61.4

36.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$10.33 ZMW 205

-27.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.43 ZMW 28.40

-19.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.37 ZMW 47.15

-21.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.60 ZMW 51.8

-35.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.53 ZMW 30.51

-38.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$5.22 ZMW 104

194.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.50 ZMW 29.91

12.67%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$7,599 ZMW 151.1K

292.15%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.6K ZMW 549.7K

-5.44%

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

$156 BGN 272

$82.5 ZMW 1,640

89.28%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.31 ZMW 205

109.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$54.4 ZMW 1,082

-71.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.23 ZMW 124

63.40%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$140 ZMW 2,786

452.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$16.6K ZMW 330.0K

-22.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$23.42 ZMW 466

284.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$15.73 ZMW 313

162.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$44.76 ZMW 890

134.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$72.9 ZMW 1,450

46.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-90.03%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chilanga: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Chilanga

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Chilanga

$241 40.7% 17.1% $50

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Chilanga

$110 18.7% 56.7% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Chilanga

$147 24.9% 23.7% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Chilanga

$71 11.9% 54.3% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Chilanga

$12 * 2.1% 81.2% $54

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Chilanga

$10 * 1.7% 73.2% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $31.00 in Chilanga for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $241 per month, with Chilanga cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇲 Chilanga

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

107,051

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, 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).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Chilanga 6,500 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Chilanga

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 Chilanga: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Chilanga differ by about 169% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $592 including rent). Chilanga is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $887 in Chilanga 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.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $140 in Chilanga. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chilanga – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $592 in Chilanga versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Chilanga but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Chilanga 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 Chilanga 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 Chilanga gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.