Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Doha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $2,260 in Doha, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Doha
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Doha Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Doha

🇶🇦 Qatar

$2,260

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Doha

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $2,260 in Doha, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Doha $2,260

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $3,532 in Doha, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Doha $3,532

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $4,805 in Doha, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Doha $4,805

Sofia is about 30% cheaper than Doha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Sofia and Doha sit above the global median – Sofia by 17%, Doha by 67%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.02 QAR 40.11

50.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$72.3 QAR 263

-6.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.26 QAR 30.06

41.40%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.33 QAR 44.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 QAR 49.38

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$6.05 QAR 22.01

-43.64%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.02 QAR 3.73

131.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.47 QAR 1.70

255.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$2.08 QAR 7.56

-6.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.38 QAR 5.03

12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.82 QAR 6.63

29.12%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.33 QAR 12.10

38.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.06 QAR 40.25

3.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.28 QAR 30.13

4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.76 QAR 42.81

47.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.30 QAR 8.36

-6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.85 QAR 6.74

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.64 QAR 5.98

11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.25 QAR 4.57

241.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.99 QAR 3.59

5.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.01 QAR 3.67

-11.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.38 QAR 5.04

-13.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.54 QAR 1.97

53.70%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.74 QAR 35.47

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 QAR 7.28

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 QAR 8.39

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.69 QAR 24.35

-34.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.57 QAR 2.08

61.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$32.35 QAR 118

-13.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.96 QAR 7.14

-14.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.90 QAR 6.91

-55.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.42 QAR 48.84

23.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.58 QAR 2.10

200.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$24.3K QAR 88.3K

23.42%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.2K QAR 77.1K

18.12%

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

$158 BGN 275

$90.1 QAR 328

75.13%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$35.20 QAR 128

-39.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$87.3 QAR 318

-82.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$196 QAR 715

-76.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$19.39 QAR 70.6

43.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$12.21 QAR 44.46

-18.10%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$739 QAR 2,691

10.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$16.5K QAR 60.0K

-11.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$61.4 QAR 224

41.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$48.92 QAR 178

-21.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$101 QAR 367

4.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$85.7 QAR 312

25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$2,053 QAR 7,473

-62.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$1,238 QAR 4,506

-52.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$3,626 QAR 13.2K

-57.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$2,418 QAR 8,802

-56.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$4,163 QAR 15.2K

8.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$2,443 QAR 8,894

27.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$3,430 QAR 12.5K

-48.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.92

-51.18%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Doha: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Doha

$1.2K 54.8% 109% $645

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Doha

$217 9.6% 24.4% $70

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Doha

$191 8.5% 24.5% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Doha

$213 9.4% 9.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Doha

$134 5.9% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Doha

$221 9.8% 231% $154

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Doha

$46 2% 22.2% $8.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $2,053 in Doha. 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 93% higher in Doha. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $72 in Doha. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Sofia vs $217 in Doha – so Doha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇶🇦 Doha

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,312,947 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

QAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Qatari Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.64 QAR (1 QAR = 0.275 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 QAR (1 QAR = 0.244 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Doha 3,220 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Doha

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 Doha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Doha is pricier by about 43%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $3,390 in Doha. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $769 there versus $2,053 in Doha.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $739 in Doha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,585, than in Doha at $2,260. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Doha it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,585 versus $2,260 in Doha. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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