Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kabul

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $488 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
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Kabul Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kabul

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $488 in Kabul.

Sofia $1,585
Kabul $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $664 in Kabul.

Sofia $2,486
Kabul $664

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $839 in Kabul.

Sofia $3,387
Kabul $839

Living in Sofia is roughly 225% more expensive than in Kabul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Kabul is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.83 ؋184

485.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$7.79 ؋506

768.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.59 ؋298

154.47%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 ؋147

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ؋123

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.13 ؋73.2

201.77%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.46 ؋29.77

413.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.15 ؋9.70

1013.33%

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

$0.81 ؋52.8

139.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.25 ؋16.31

520.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.86 ؋121

26.34%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.57 ؋102

192.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.39 ؋285

161.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.89 ؋253

122.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$6.71 ؋436

158.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.69 ؋44.68

211.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.85 ؋55.5

132.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.96 ؋62.2

90.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.55 ؋35.64

676.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.65 ؋42.18

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.47 ؋30.73

89.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.30 ؋19.67

296.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.39 ؋25.15

112.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ؋49.05

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.05 ؋67.9

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.42 ؋157

81.82%

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

$0.13 ؋8.65

607.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$8.09 ؋525

247.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.10 ؋136

-20.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.45 ؋29.22

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.63 ؋171

530.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.11 ؋71.8

56.76%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$8,558 ؋556.0K

249.80%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$34.0K ؋2.2M

-26.33%

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

$158 BGN 275

$42.10 ؋2,735

274.96%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$12.70 ؋825

67.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$95.2 ؋6,187

-84.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$11.29 ؋734

314.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$4.11 ؋267

576.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$2.33 ؋151

329.18%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$20.27 ؋1,317

3922.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$2,131 ؋138.5K

587.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$10.78 ؋700

707.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$15.98 ؋1,038

139.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$57.3 ؋3,725

84.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$25.02 ؋1,626

328.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$125 ؋8,133

514.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$107 ؋6,934

455.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$219 ؋14.2K

598.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$116 ؋7,513

817.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$678 ؋44.0K

567.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$356 ؋23.1K

773.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$344 ؋22.4K

416.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kabul: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kabul

$107 21.9% 82% $486

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kabul

$101 20.7% 64.9% $187

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kabul

$52 10.7% 79.4% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kabul

$150 30.7% 22.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kabul

$49 10.1% 67.7% $103

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kabul

$16 3.3% 76.1% $51

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kabul

$13 2.7% 65.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $125 in Kabul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 5.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $8 in Kabul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $101 per month, with Kabul cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇫 Kabul

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

09:04 9:04 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,289,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AFN, 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).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 64.97 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.93 AFN (100 AFN = 1.37 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kabul 4,040 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kabul

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 Kabul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $488 in Kabul, so Kabul is about 69% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 5.2 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $125 in Kabul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kabul runs roughly 71% less than in Sofia. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $20 in Kabul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $488 in Kabul versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kabul but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kabul 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.

Expats usually find Kabul gentler on the wallet – expenses run 69% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.