Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Isiolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Isiolo: $545 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Isiolo
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Isiolo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Isiolo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$545

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Isiolo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $545 in Isiolo.

Sofia $1,585
Isiolo $545

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $891 in Isiolo.

Sofia $2,486
Isiolo $891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,238 in Isiolo.

Sofia $3,387
Isiolo $1,238

Living in Sofia is roughly 191% more expensive than in Isiolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Isiolo is 60% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.36 KES 825

160.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$34.17 KES 4,437

98.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.51 KES 845

79.42%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.64 KES 343

29.17%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.65 KES 84.2

263.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.61 KES 79.1

173.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.25 KES 292

77.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.62 KES 340

72.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.87 KES 113

122.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.53 KES 69.2

192.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.94 KES 253

21.13%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.75 KES 227

162.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.93 KES 1,419

4.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.76 KES 877

27.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$6.35 KES 824

173.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$3.49 KES 453

-38.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.03 KES 133

92.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.00 KES 260

-8.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.11 KES 144

284.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.11 KES 144

-6.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.07 KES 139

-16.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.73 KES 94.8

63.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.75 KES 97.5

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.44 KES 447

27.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.41 KES 1,482

-34.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.21 KES 287

-47.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.69 KES 350

-29.37%

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

$1.56 KES 203

7.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.52 KES 198

-44.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.96 KES 384

460.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.61 KES 209

8.07%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

55.63%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$22.1K KES 2.9M

12.97%

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

$158 BGN 275

$56.8 KES 7,370

178.12%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$15.24 KES 1,979

39.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$34.38 KES 4,464

-56.02%

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

$7.53 KES 978

32.80%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$278 KES 36.1K

193.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

19.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$27.76 KES 3,604

213.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$29.21 KES 3,793

31.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$68.7 KES 8,923

53.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$57.9 KES 7,521

85.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

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

$771 KES 100.1K

130.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

14.71

-80.35%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Isiolo: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Isiolo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Isiolo

$208 38.2% 27.6% $80

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Isiolo

$124 22.7% 51.3% $130

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Isiolo

$106 19.5% 45.2% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Isiolo

$83 15.2% 45.7% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Isiolo

$15 * 2.8% 77.5% $52

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Isiolo

$9.2 * 1.7% 75.7% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

Sofia pays about 2.3 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $34 in Isiolo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $208 per month, with Isiolo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇪 Isiolo

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

45,989

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Isiolo 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Isiolo

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 Isiolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Isiolo wins on cost – living expenses run 66% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Isiolo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sofia is about 2.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $545 in Isiolo – Isiolo is about 66% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $545 in Isiolo versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Isiolo but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Isiolo 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.

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