Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kilifi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $637 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$637

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kilifi

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $637 in Kilifi, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Kilifi $637

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,050 in Kilifi, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Kilifi $1,050

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,463 in Kilifi, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Kilifi $1,463

Sofia costs about 149% more than Kilifi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Kilifi is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$1.89 KES 246

776.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$49.85 KES 6,473

35.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$2.26 KES 293

416.81%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.97 KES 255

73.10%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.80 KES 103

195.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.81 KES 105

106.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.49 KES 194

167.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.05 KES 137

84.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.86 KES 112

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.00 KES 260

17.50%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.94 KES 252

137.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$7.62 KES 989

127.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.26 KES 293

-4.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$0.71 KES 91.9

178.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.72 KES 223

6.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.44 KES 57.6

870.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.79 KES 102

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.79 KES 103

12.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.24 KES 31.26

245.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.47 KES 1,619

-40.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.69 KES 220

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.75 KES 97.1

22.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$26.63 KES 3,458

5.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.35 KES 175

28.89%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

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

$158 BGN 275

$15.41 KES 2,001

924.40%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.19 KES 1,324

108.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$25.06 KES 3,253

-39.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$28.23 KES 3,665

65.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$7.84 KES 1,018

27.55%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$161 KES 20.9K

407.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,014 KES 651.1K

192.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$9.36 KES 1,216

830.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$8.78 KES 1,140

335.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$15.19 KES 1,973

595.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$17.57 KES 2,282

510.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$333 KES 43.2K

130.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$308 KES 40.0K

92.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$274 KES 35.6K

458.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$569 KES 73.8K

86.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$233 KES 30.3K

664.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-63.87%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kilifi: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kilifi

–

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kilifi

–

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kilifi

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kilifi

–

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kilifi

–

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kilifi

–

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kilifi

–

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $333 in Kilifi. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 7.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $50 in Kilifi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $123 – making Kilifi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

122,899

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kilifi 5,410 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kilifi

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 Kilifi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $637 in Kilifi – Kilifi comes out roughly 60% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $956 in Kilifi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kilifi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $333 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $161 in Kilifi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 135% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kilifi, where all-in costs run around $637, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Kilifi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kilifi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Kilifi. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.