Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Dukhan

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $1,697 in Dukhan, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dukhan outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Dukhan
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Dukhan Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Dukhan

🇶🇦 Qatar

$1,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Dukhan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,697 in Dukhan.

Sofia $1,585
Dukhan $1,697

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,355 in Dukhan.

Sofia $2,486
Dukhan $2,355

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $3,013 in Dukhan.

Sofia $3,387
Dukhan $3,013

Living in Sofia costs roughly 7% less than in Dukhan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 17% above, Dukhan 26% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.87 QAR 39.57

52.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$70.6 QAR 257

-4.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.06 QAR 29.35

44.91%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.40 QAR 45.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.72 QAR 49.93

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$6.17 QAR 22.45

-44.73%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.97 QAR 3.51

143.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.46 QAR 1.68

263.04%

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

$2.17 QAR 7.90

-10.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.38 QAR 5.02

12.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.79 QAR 6.53

31.28%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$3.47 QAR 12.62

32.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.35 QAR 41.32

1.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.00 QAR 29.11

8.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.79 QAR 42.93

47.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.25 QAR 8.18

-4.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.76 QAR 6.39

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.64 QAR 5.96

11.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.26 QAR 4.59

238.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.95 QAR 3.45

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.00 QAR 3.64

-11.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.37 QAR 4.99

-13.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.53 QAR 1.93

56.60%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$9.59 QAR 34.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.94 QAR 7.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 QAR 8.27

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$6.44 QAR 23.45

-31.68%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.90 QAR 6.92

-12.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.89 QAR 6.88

-55.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$13.88 QAR 50.5

19.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.55 QAR 2.01

216.36%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$24.0K QAR 87.5K

24.54%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$21.4K QAR 77.8K

16.97%

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

$158 BGN 275

$92.2 QAR 336

71.21%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$35.23 QAR 128

-39.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$89.3 QAR 325

-83.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$12.13 QAR 44.16

-17.56%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$717 QAR 2,609

13.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$16.3K QAR 59.2K

-10.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$63.1 QAR 230

38.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$49.95 QAR 182

-23.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$100 QAR 365

5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$86.7 QAR 315

23.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$1,339 QAR 4,872

-42.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$902 QAR 3,282

-34.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,672 QAR 6,085

-8.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,112 QAR 4,047

-4.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$4,130 QAR 15.0K

-56.90%

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 Dukhan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Dukhan

$902 53.1% 52% $309

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Dukhan

$217 12.8% 24.5% $70

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Dukhan

$191 11.3% 24.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Dukhan

$217 12.8% 11.6% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Dukhan

$135 8% 11.3% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Dukhan

$24 * 1.4% 63.7% $43

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Dukhan

$11 * 0.7% 69.9% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $1,339 in Dukhan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dukhan pays about 2.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $71 in Dukhan. Groceries flip the comparison at $288 vs $217, with Dukhan cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇶🇦 Dukhan

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

12,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Qatari Riyal QAR ر.ق

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 QAR = 0.275 USD

1 QAR = 0.245 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 = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 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 = 0.245 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Dukhan 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Dukhan

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 Dukhan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,697 in Dukhan, so Sofia is about 7% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 57% lower in Sofia. 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: $769 in Sofia versus $1,339 in Dukhan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dukhan pay roughly 24% less for everyday groceries. It’s an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,697 in Dukhan – Sofia is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Sofia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Dukhan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Sofia wins on affordability, Dukhan on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.