Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kamez

For one person, living is cheaper in Kamez: $1,088 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Kamez
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Kamez Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kamez

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,088

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kamez

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,088 in Kamez, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Kamez $1,088

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,622 in Kamez, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Kamez $1,622

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,157 in Kamez, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Kamez $2,157

Sofia costs about 47% more than Kamez, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Kamez is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.88 ALL 796

70.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$38.03 ALL 3,062

73.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.46 ALL 601

51.74%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.90 ALL 153

80.53%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.75 ALL 141

37.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.69 ALL 55.3

168.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.47 ALL 199

49.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.29 ALL 265

39.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.95 ALL 157

3.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.96 ALL 77.6

62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.01 ALL 162

15.92%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.61 ALL 210

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.26 ALL 826

14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.32 ALL 670

6.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.84 ALL 1,114

26.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.88 ALL 152

14.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.27 ALL 183

-12.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.68 ALL 135

14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.58 ALL 127

168.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.06 ALL 85.2

-1.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.23 ALL 99.4

-30.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.19 ALL 96.0

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.73 ALL 59.1

21.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.39 ALL 353

-4.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.99 ALL 644

-6.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.62 ALL 131

-29.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.88 ALL 152

-1.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.51 ALL 40.87

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$21.25 ALL 1,711

34.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.64 ALL 293

-53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.61 ALL 291

-73.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.57 ALL 1,496

-17.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.18 ALL 175

-22.48%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.4K ALL 2.7M

-10.77%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.7K ALL 2.0M

5.80%

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

$156 BGN 272

$61.1 ALL 4,920

155.45%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.32 ALL 1,314

32.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$16.84 ALL 1,356

-9.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$56.7 ALL 4,567

-18.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.38 ALL 675

21.48%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$98.1 ALL 7,897

689.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$8,281 ALL 666.9K

54.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$48.06 ALL 3,870

87.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$46.90 ALL 3,777

-11.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$96.7 ALL 7,787

8.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$110 ALL 8,818

-2.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$464 ALL 37.4K

68.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$340 ALL 27.4K

75.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$791 ALL 63.7K

91.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$433 ALL 34.8K

138.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,709 ALL 137.7K

154.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,189 ALL 95.7K

167.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kamez: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kamez

$340 31.3% 43% $256

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kamez

$246 22.6% 15.2% $44

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kamez

$153 14.1% 40% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kamez

$94 8.7% 51.1% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kamez

$136 12.5% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kamez

$73 6.8% 10.6% $7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kamez

$45 4.1% 17.2% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $464 in Kamez. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $38.00 in Kamez. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $246 – making Kamez the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇱 Kamez

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

104,190

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kamez 330 km

From you

Sofia
Kamez

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 Kamez: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,088 in Kamez – roughly 47% 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 $1,632 in Kamez. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kamez, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $38.00 in Kamez. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kamez, where all-in costs run around $1,088, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kamez 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 $1,088 in Kamez 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 Kamez. 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.