Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Lusaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Lusaka: $889 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Lusaka
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Lusaka Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Lusaka

🇿🇲 Zambia

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Lusaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $889 in Lusaka.

Sofia $1,589
Lusaka $889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $1,510 in Lusaka.

Sofia $2,456
Lusaka $1,510

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $2,131 in Lusaka.

Sofia $3,324
Lusaka $2,131

Living in Sofia is roughly 79% more expensive than in Lusaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 19% above, Lusaka is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$5.74 ZMW 114

197.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$30.85 ZMW 612

116.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$4.96 ZMW 98.4

137.30%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.90 ZMW 57.4

17.93%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.74 ZMW 14.65

227.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.46 ZMW 9.16

304.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.30 ZMW 25.85

156.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.27 ZMW 44.98

99.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.76 ZMW 34.83

9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.18 ZMW 23.41

27.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.13 ZMW 42.28

3.76%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.92 ZMW 38.15

129.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$10.36 ZMW 205

11.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.25 ZMW 124

40.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$6.62 ZMW 131

156.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.48 ZMW 69.0

-37.64%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.40 ZMW 47.66

-15.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.59 ZMW 71.1

-48.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.58 ZMW 31.25

171.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.53 ZMW 50.1

-59.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.81 ZMW 35.93

-48.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.12 ZMW 22.23

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.79 ZMW 15.68

16.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.96 ZMW 58.7

45.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$10.26 ZMW 203

-28.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.44 ZMW 28.53

-18.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.35 ZMW 46.63

-20.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.98 ZMW 19.51

-11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$49.75 ZMW 987

-43.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.51 ZMW 49.71

-30.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.56 ZMW 30.84

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$5.02 ZMW 99.6

209.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.55 ZMW 30.69

15.48%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$7,507 ZMW 148.9K

299.39%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$27.0K ZMW 536.2K

-2.48%

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

$156 BGN 273

$80.5 ZMW 1,595

93.84%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$10.41 ZMW 207

103.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$55.5 ZMW 1,101

-71.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$55.5 ZMW 1,100

-15.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$15.10 ZMW 300

83.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$6.00 ZMW 119

67.00%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$139 ZMW 2,748

453.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$16.7K ZMW 331.0K

-23.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$23.34 ZMW 463

284.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$15.35 ZMW 304

166.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$45.95 ZMW 911

130.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$72.3 ZMW 1,433

44.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$391 ZMW 7,744

103.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$180 ZMW 3,575

236.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,107 ZMW 21.9K

41.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$596 ZMW 11.8K

78.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,906 ZMW 37.8K

128.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$4,999 ZMW 99.1K

-34.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$317 ZMW 6,282

449.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-90.03%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Lusaka: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Lusaka

$180 20.5% 70.3% $427

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Lusaka

$239 27.2% 16.7% $48

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Lusaka

$111 12.7% 56.5% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Lusaka

$146 16.7% 24.1% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Lusaka

$71 8% 54% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Lusaka

$67 7.7% 1% $0.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Lusaka

$64 7.3% 67.6% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $391 in Lusaka. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 449% 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: $67.0 in Sofia vs $31.00 in Lusaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $239 per month, with Lusaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇲 Lusaka

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,742,979 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZMW, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.22 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Sofia Lusaka 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

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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 Lusaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Lusaka differ by about 79% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $889 including rent). Lusaka is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 449% 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: $796 in Sofia versus $391 in Lusaka. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Sofia versus $889 in Lusaka – a 79% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lusaka runs roughly 77% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $889 in Lusaka versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lusaka but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Lusaka 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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Lusaka 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 Lusaka gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.