Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kafue

For one person, living is cheaper in Kafue: $591 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Kafue
Learn more

Kafue Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kafue

🇿🇲 Zambia

$591

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kafue

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $591 in Kafue, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Kafue $591

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $939 in Kafue, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Kafue $939

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,288 in Kafue, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Kafue $1,288

Sofia costs about 170% more than Kafue, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Kafue is 56% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$5.61 ZMW 112

200.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$30.47 ZMW 606

115.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.20 ZMW 103

117.69%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.87 ZMW 57.0

19.51%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.78 ZMW 15.44

208.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.50 ZMW 10.01

270.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.24 ZMW 24.59

198.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.24 ZMW 44.46

104.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.77 ZMW 35.17

14.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.24 ZMW 24.63

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.15 ZMW 42.77

8.37%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.89 ZMW 37.65

130.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.26 ZMW 204

14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.45 ZMW 128

36.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$6.61 ZMW 131

164.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.31 ZMW 65.9

-35.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.45 ZMW 48.76

-19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.62 ZMW 72.1

-46.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.51 ZMW 30.01

180.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.67 ZMW 53.0

-61.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.89 ZMW 37.51

-55.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.17 ZMW 23.28

-1.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.78 ZMW 15.55

14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$2.99 ZMW 59.4

40.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$10.18 ZMW 203

-26.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.47 ZMW 29.23

-21.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.38 ZMW 47.35

-22.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.48 ZMW 49.32

-32.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.56 ZMW 31.06

-39.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$4.94 ZMW 98.3

210.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.51 ZMW 29.93

11.92%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$7,751 ZMW 154.2K

284.45%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.5K ZMW 546.0K

-4.80%

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

$156 BGN 272

$79.7 ZMW 1,586

95.79%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.66 ZMW 212

102.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$55.3 ZMW 1,100

-72.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.23 ZMW 124

63.40%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$140 ZMW 2,777

454.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$16.5K ZMW 328.6K

-22.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$23.38 ZMW 465

284.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$15.47 ZMW 308

166.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$46.03 ZMW 915

128.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$72.7 ZMW 1,445

46.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-90.03%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kafue: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kafue

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kafue

$241 40.8% 17.2% $50

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kafue

$111 18.7% 56.6% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kafue

$146 24.7% 24.5% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kafue

$71 12% 54.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kafue

$12 * 2.1% 81.2% $54

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kafue

$10 * 1.7% 73.2% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $30.00 in Kafue. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $241 – making Kafue the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇲 Kafue

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

104,174

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.03 USD

100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 19.89 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.03 USD). 1 EUR = 22.36 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.47 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kafue 6,520 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kafue

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 Kafue: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $591 in Kafue – roughly 170% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $886 in Kafue. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $591 in Kafue. That's a gap of about 170%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $140 in Kafue. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kafue, where all-in costs run around $591, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kafue it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $591 in Kafue to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kafue. 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.