Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $643 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kampala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $643 in Kampala.

Sofia $1,585
Kampala $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $981 in Kampala.

Sofia $2,486
Kampala $981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,320 in Kampala.

Sofia $3,387
Kampala $1,320

Living in Sofia is roughly 147% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Kampala is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.36 UGX 9,541

602.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$23.23 UGX 93.8K

191.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.17 UGX 29.0K

62.90%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.49 UGX 10.0K

36.95%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.37 UGX 1,482

537.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.24 UGX 968

595.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.18 UGX 4,771

238.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.78 UGX 7,203

154.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.76 UGX 3,089

155.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.86 UGX 3,470

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.26 UGX 5,092

86.51%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.38 UGX 5,560

233.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.11 UGX 16.6K

179.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.12 UGX 16.6K

109.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$4.62 UGX 18.6K

275.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.06 UGX 8,299

4.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.40 UGX 5,660

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.25 UGX 5,040

46.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.20 UGX 4,845

255.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.20 UGX 4,831

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.24 UGX 5,007

-28.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.71 UGX 2,857

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.50 UGX 2,004

66.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.30 UGX 9,291

91.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.19 UGX 29.0K

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.01 UGX 4,073

14.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.84 UGX 7,432

3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.72 UGX 2,919

27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$37.73 UGX 152.3K

-25.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.49 UGX 1,971

240.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.30 UGX 1,222

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.94 UGX 11.9K

464.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.41 UGX 5,709

23.40%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$6,948 UGX 28.1M

330.89%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$7,038 UGX 28.4M

255.39%

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

$158 BGN 275

$64.9 UGX 262.0K

143.24%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$11.26 UGX 45.5K

88.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$33.28 UGX 134.4K

-54.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$51.9 UGX 209.5K

-9.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$5.66 UGX 22.8K

391.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$7.05 UGX 28.5K

41.84%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$262 UGX 1.1M

211.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$15.6K UGX 63.1M

-6.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$13.27 UGX 53.6K

556.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$12.05 UGX 48.7K

217.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$30.16 UGX 121.8K

250.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$41.28 UGX 166.7K

159.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$460 UGX 1.9M

67.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$158 UGX 637.6K

275.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,198 UGX 4.8M

27.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$281 UGX 1.1M

277.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,224 UGX 4.9M

269.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$938 UGX 3.8M

231.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$169 UGX 681.1K

955.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.75

-86.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kampala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kampala

$158 24.6% 73.4% $435

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kampala

$141 22% 50.9% $147

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kampala

$82 12.8% 67.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kampala

$109 17% 43.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kampala

$44 6.8% 71.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kampala

$66 10.3% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kampala

$43 6.6% 13% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $460 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $23 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $141 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

10:45 10:45 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.48 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, 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).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,038 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.48 USD). 1 EUR = 4,535 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.21 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kampala 4,800 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kampala

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 Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is about 59% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sofia is about 11 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 $460 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 104% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $643 in Kampala versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala 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 – Kampala wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.