Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Douala

For one person, living is cheaper in Douala: $1,329 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Douala
Learn more

Douala Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Douala

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,329

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Douala

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,329 in Douala, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Douala $1,329

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,133 in Douala, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Douala $2,133

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,937 in Douala, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Douala $2,937

Sofia costs about 20% more than Douala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Douala is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$4.41 FCFA 2,579

287.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$121 FCFA 70.8K

-44.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.92 FCFA 4,052

70.09%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

62.86%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.60 FCFA 937

51.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.78 FCFA 458

138.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.21 FCFA 710

175.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.51 FCFA 1,469

80.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.76 FCFA 1,618

-30.43%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.44 FCFA 258

243.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.27 FCFA 1,330

-2.64%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.93 FCFA 1,128

127.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$21.83 FCFA 12.8K

-47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.91 FCFA 4,629

11.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$6.23 FCFA 3,643

172.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$4.78 FCFA 2,798

-54.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.11 FCFA 1,233

-3.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.07 FCFA 1,210

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.37 FCFA 804

213.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$3.33 FCFA 1,950

-69.07%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.19 FCFA 1,280

-57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.75 FCFA 441

60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.67 FCFA 391

37.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.61 FCFA 1,526

64.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$8.77 FCFA 5,133

-16.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.47 FCFA 858

-19.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.81 FCFA 1,058

3.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.61 FCFA 358

42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$17.37 FCFA 10.2K

62.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.58 FCFA 340

200.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.85 FCFA 497

12.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$8.14 FCFA 4,763

90.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.47 FCFA 862

21.77%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$30.5K FCFA 17.8M

-1.71%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$15.2K FCFA 8.9M

73.45%

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

$156 BGN 273

$163 FCFA 95.1K

-4.04%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

-16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$175 FCFA 102.6K

-91.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$41.22 FCFA 24.1K

13.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.38 FCFA 4,904

19.57%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$507 FCFA 296.9K

51.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$3,426 FCFA 2.0M

273.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$78.6 FCFA 46.0K

14.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$65.9 FCFA 38.5K

-37.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$138 FCFA 80.6K

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$148 FCFA 86.4K

-29.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$553 FCFA 323.5K

44.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$318 FCFA 186.1K

90.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,346 FCFA 787.5K

16.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$548 FCFA 320.8K

93.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,989 FCFA 1.2M

119.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$971 FCFA 568.1K

234.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$225 FCFA 131.5K

674.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.04

-84.82%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Douala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Douala

$318 23.8% 47.6% $289

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Douala

$278 20.8% 3.2% $9.1

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Douala

$102 7.6% 60.2% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Douala

$363 27.2% 88.5% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Douala

$193 14.5% 26% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Douala

$58 4.3% 13.2% $8.8

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Douala

$25 1.8% 35.4% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $553 in Douala. 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 674% 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 $121 in Douala. Groceries tell a different story – $287 in Sofia vs $278 in Douala – so Douala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇲 Douala

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

2,000,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Douala 4,500 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
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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 Douala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 20%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,993 in Douala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 3% 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 $121 in Douala. 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 Douala, where all-in costs run around $1,329, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Douala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Douala – 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 Douala. 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.