Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Khost

For one person, living is cheaper in Khost: $406 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Khost
Learn more

Khost Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Khost

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Khost

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Sofia versus $406 in Khost.

Sofia $1,609
Khost $406

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Sofia versus $598 in Khost.

Sofia $2,495
Khost $598

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,381 in Sofia versus $789 in Khost.

Sofia $3,381
Khost $789

Living in Sofia is roughly 296% more expensive than in Khost, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Khost is 70% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$2.75 ؋178

513.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$7.61 ؋494

773.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$4.55 ؋295

154.73%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ؋153

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 ؋117

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$1.12 ؋72.5

214.29%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.49 ؋31.50

393.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.16 ؋10.08

1006.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$0.86 ؋55.9

127.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.25 ؋16.35

504.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$1.81 ؋117

21.55%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$1.51 ؋97.8

191.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$4.47 ؋290

163.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$4.03 ؋262

115.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$6.85 ؋445

153.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$0.69 ؋44.78

208.70%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$0.84 ؋54.2

144.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$0.90 ؋58.2

114.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$0.54 ؋35.20

672.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$0.60 ؋39.25

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.51 ؋33.04

78.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.30 ؋19.69

293.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.40 ؋25.89

110.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.87 ؋121

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ؋51.4

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.04 ؋67.6

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$2.43 ؋158

72.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.48 ؋31.04

81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$18.66 ؋1,212

55.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$0.75 ؋48.84

124.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$0.44 ؋28.44

97.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$2.29 ؋149

588.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.09 ؋70.9

58.72%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$8,296 ؋538.7K

257.59%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$34.1K ؋2.2M

-24.98%

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

$161 BGN 282

$42.62 ؋2,768

277.45%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$12.76 ؋829

65.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$95.8 ؋6,223

-84.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$7.80 ؋507

519.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$6.01 ؋390

357.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$2.27 ؋148

347.58%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$20.43 ؋1,327

3744.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,054 ؋68.5K

1109.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$10.71 ؋696

738.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$15.69 ؋1,019

163.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$58.4 ؋3,795

84.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$25.17 ؋1,635

334.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$30.85 ؋2,003

2458.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$15.63 ؋1,015

3763.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$76.5 ؋4,967

1883.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$46.93 ؋3,048

2109.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

$188 ؋12.2K

825.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-71.10%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Khost: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Khost

$16 3.9% 97.4% $588

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Khost

$102 25.2% 64.6% $186

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Khost

$52 12.7% 79.9% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Khost

$151 37.3% 23.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Khost

$50 12.2% 68.4% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Khost

$12 3% 82% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Khost

$24 5.8% 39% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Sofia and $31 in Khost. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 9.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Sofia vs $8 in Khost for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $102 per month, with Khost cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇫 Khost

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

14:31 2:31 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

11,987

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 64.94 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.27 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Khost 4,160 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Khost

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 Khost: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Khost is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 296% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sofia is about 9.3 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: $789 in Sofia versus $31 in Khost. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Khost – a meal for two runs $8 versus $66 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,609 per month in Sofia versus $406 in Khost – a 296% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Khost versus $1,609 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Khost but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Khost 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 Khost gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.