Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Islamabad

For one person, living is cheaper in Islamabad: $608 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Islamabad
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Islamabad Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Islamabad

🇵🇰 Pakistan

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Islamabad

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $608 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Islamabad $608

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $950 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Islamabad $950

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,292 in Islamabad, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Islamabad $1,292

Sofia costs about 161% more than Islamabad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Islamabad is 55% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.57 PKR 986

364.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$24.14 PKR 6,672

180.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.37 PKR 1,483

117.50%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.73 PKR 1,030

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.04 PKR 1,947

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.67 PKR 739

27.72%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.35 PKR 95.6

574.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.24 PKR 66.6

595.83%

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

$0.99 PKR 273

95.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.74 PKR 203

109.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.29 PKR 358

82.17%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.32 PKR 366

248.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$5.97 PKR 1,651

92.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.03 PKR 837

185.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$5.52 PKR 1,526

214.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.35 PKR 373

59.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.86 PKR 238

130.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.04 PKR 286

75.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.55 PKR 151

676.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.30 PKR 83.3

246.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.40 PKR 110

122.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.28 PKR 77.0

325.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.43 PKR 118

93.02%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.00 PKR 551

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 PKR 346

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 PKR 729

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.36 PKR 652

86.44%

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

$0.17 PKR 46.15

441.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$21.61 PKR 5,972

30.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.28 PKR 355

30.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.70 PKR 193

21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$1.65 PKR 456

905.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.33 PKR 369

30.83%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$54.3K PKR 15.0M

-44.84%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$23.1K PKR 6.4M

8.12%

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

$158 BGN 275

$103 PKR 28.4K

53.49%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.17 PKR 1,705

244.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$17.36 PKR 4,798

-12.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$33.65 PKR 9,300

39.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$8.62 PKR 2,382

222.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.97 PKR 1,375

101.21%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$326 PKR 90.1K

150.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$22.4K PKR 6.2M

-34.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$25.82 PKR 7,136

237.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$34.52 PKR 9,539

10.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$95.6 PKR 26.4K

10.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$41.07 PKR 11.4K

160.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$248 PKR 68.5K

210.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$139 PKR 38.5K

326.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$549 PKR 151.6K

178.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$280 PKR 77.4K

278.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,655 PKR 457.5K

173.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$825 PKR 227.9K

277.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$384 PKR 106.0K

364.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

13.08

-77.91%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Islamabad: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Islamabad

$139 22.9% 76.5% $454

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Islamabad

$104 17.1% 63.8% $184

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Islamabad

$79 13% 68.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Islamabad

$126 20.8% 34.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Islamabad

$89 14.6% 41.7% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Islamabad

$44 7.2% 34.8% $23

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Islamabad

$27 4.5% 28.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $248 in Islamabad. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $24 in Islamabad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $104 – making Islamabad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇰 Islamabad

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

14:09 2:09 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,009,832 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Pakistani Rupee PKR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD

1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PKR, 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).

Pakistani Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 276 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.62 USD). 1 EUR = 310 PKR (1,000 PKR = 3.22 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Islamabad 4,400 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Islamabad

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 Islamabad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 161%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $912 in Islamabad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Islamabad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $248 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 176% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $24 in Islamabad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Islamabad, where all-in costs run around $608, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Islamabad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Islamabad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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