Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kelibia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kelibia: $641 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Kelibia
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Kelibia Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Kelibia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$641

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kelibia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $641 in Kelibia.

Sofia $1,600
Kelibia $641

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,004 in Kelibia.

Sofia $2,490
Kelibia $1,004

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,367 in Kelibia.

Sofia $3,380
Kelibia $1,367

Living in Sofia is roughly 149% more expensive than in Kelibia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kelibia is 53% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$2.72 TND 8.14

523.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$13.16 TND 39.40

418.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$3.42 TND 10.23

239.77%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.61 TND 1.82

462.30%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$0.51 TND 1.53

358.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.27 TND 0.81

577.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.66 TND 4.96

105.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$1.67 TND 4.99

165.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$0.42 TND 1.25

369.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.16 TND 0.48

831.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.76 TND 5.27

32.39%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$1.45 TND 4.34

204.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$14.87 TND 44.55

-22.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$6.17 TND 18.48

43.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$14.57 TND 43.63

20.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.15 TND 3.44

86.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.62 TND 7.85

-20.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.74 TND 2.22

160.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$0.64 TND 1.93

564.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.68 TND 2.04

51.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.81 TND 2.44

8.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.46 TND 1.37

158.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.28 TND 0.85

217.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$3.44 TND 10.30

22.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$5.19 TND 15.54

51.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.22 TND 3.66

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.33 TND 3.99

42.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.33 TND 0.98

181.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$10.73 TND 32.15

163.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.93

441.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.37 TND 1.12

159.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$3.51 TND 10.52

337.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.88 TND 2.65

101.14%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$39.2K TND 117.4K

-22.21%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$36.1K TND 108.1K

-30.51%

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

$157 BGN 273

$44.37 TND 133

254.02%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$10.39 TND 31.13

103.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$16.46 TND 49.28

-6.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$15.88 TND 47.56

192.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$11.68 TND 34.98

140.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$3.36 TND 10.08

198.81%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$61.2 TND 183

1166.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$1,945 TND 5,824

544.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$48.30 TND 145

82.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$68.3 TND 204

-39.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$111 TND 331

-3.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$67.9 TND 203

56.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$233 TND 699

229.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$153 TND 459

293.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$385 TND 1,154

305.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$275 TND 824

276.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$958 TND 2,868

376.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$617 TND 1,847

412.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$237 TND 711

633.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-73.73%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kelibia: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Kelibia

$153 23.9% 74.6% $449

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Kelibia

$194 30.2% 33.5% $97

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Kelibia

$54 8.4% 78.8% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Kelibia

$71 11.1% 63.2% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Kelibia

$133 20.7% 13.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kelibia

$23 3.5% 66% $44

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kelibia

$14 2.2% 63.1% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $233 in Kelibia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 634% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Sofia vs $13.00 in Kelibia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $194 per month, with Kelibia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Kelibia

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

58,491

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Sofia Kelibia 1,230 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

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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 Kelibia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kelibia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 149% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 634% higher in Sofia, 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: $770 in Sofia versus $233 in Kelibia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kelibia runs roughly 164% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $61.2 in Kelibia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $641 in Kelibia versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kelibia but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kelibia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kelibia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Kelibia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kelibia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.