Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kumasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kumasi: $488 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kumasi
Learn more

Kumasi Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kumasi

🇬🇭 Ghana

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kumasi

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $488 in Kumasi, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Kumasi $488

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $805 in Kumasi, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Kumasi $805

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,123 in Kumasi, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Kumasi $1,123

Sofia costs about 227% more than Kumasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Kumasi is 64% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.50 GHS 40.74

382.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$33.71 GHS 392

95.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.15 GHS 118

11.53%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.08 GHS 12.53

217.59%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.71 GHS 8.22

239.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.26 GHS 3.05

611.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$0.91 GHS 10.53

306.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.66 GHS 19.34

175.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.78 GHS 20.65

13.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.64 GHS 19.09

-4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.75 GHS 20.35

33.14%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.39 GHS 27.81

82.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$5.49 GHS 63.8

114.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$4.54 GHS 52.8

94.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$4.81 GHS 55.9

262.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.68 GHS 19.50

27.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$0.83 GHS 9.66

138.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.84 GHS 9.73

129.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.10 GHS 24.39

101.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.66 GHS 19.34

-37.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.28 GHS 14.89

-33.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.75 GHS 8.70

53.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.57 GHS 6.59

56.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$0.87 GHS 10.18

383.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$1.25 GHS 14.56

496.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 GHS 14.22

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.40 GHS 27.88

-22.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.52 GHS 6.09

67.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$20.34 GHS 237

40.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.82 GHS 9.49

104.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.24 GHS 14.44

-24.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$1.72 GHS 20.03

792.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.13 GHS 13.18

49.56%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$7,902 GHS 91.9K

277.09%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$9,972 GHS 116.0K

162.08%

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

$156 BGN 272

$41.97 GHS 488

271.88%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$19.43 GHS 226

10.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$42.24 GHS 491

-63.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$30.23 GHS 352

52.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$12.60 GHS 147

-19.21%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$459 GHS 5,337

68.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,536 GHS 64.4K

131.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$14.50 GHS 169

520.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$18.32 GHS 213

125.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$35.88 GHS 417

193.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$51.8 GHS 602

106.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$408 GHS 4,750

324.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

26.75

-89.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kumasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kumasi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kumasi

$162 33.3% 44.1% $128

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kumasi

$83 17% 67.4% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kumasi

$104 21.2% 46.3% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kumasi

$54 11.1% 64.9% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kumasi

$55 11.4% 16.6% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kumasi

$29 6% 23.2% $8.9

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 325% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $34.00 in Kumasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $162 – making Kumasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇬🇭 Kumasi

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

19:48 7:48 PM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,517,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 GHS = 8.6 USD

100 GHS = 7.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 11.63 GHS (100 GHS = 8.6 USD). 1 EUR = 13.08 GHS (100 GHS = 7.65 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kumasi 4,690 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kumasi

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 Kumasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $488 in Kumasi – roughly 227% 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 $732 in Kumasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 79% 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 $34.00 in Kumasi. 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 Kumasi, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kumasi 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 $488 in Kumasi 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 Kumasi. 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.