Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Maputo

For one person, living is cheaper in Maputo: $1,109 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Maputo
Learn more

Maputo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Maputo

🇲🇿 Mozambique

$1,109

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Maputo

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,109 in Maputo, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Maputo $1,109

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,720 in Maputo, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Maputo $1,720

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,331 in Maputo, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Maputo $2,331

Sofia costs about 43% more than Maputo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Maputo is 17% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$10.37 MZN 656

64.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$63.2 MZN 3,995

5.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.95 MZN 440

69.35%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.28 MZN 144

50.00%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.87 MZN 55.2

178.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.73 MZN 46.29

154.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.60 MZN 101

108.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.32 MZN 147

95.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.52 MZN 96.1

26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.00 MZN 63.0

51.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.67 MZN 106

32.34%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.52 MZN 159

74.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$21.02 MZN 1,329

-45.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$5.87 MZN 371

49.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$5.59 MZN 353

203.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.99 MZN 126

9.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$0.79 MZN 50.2

158.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.71 MZN 108

7.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.09 MZN 68.7

293.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.03 MZN 65.4

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.75 MZN 47.25

24.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.96 MZN 61.0

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.91 MZN 57.4

1.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.83 MZN 179

51.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$10.11 MZN 639

-27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$0.98 MZN 61.7

20.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.32 MZN 83.6

41.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.37 MZN 23.45

135.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$23.65 MZN 1,496

18.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.60 MZN 101

8.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.19 MZN 75.2

-19.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$24.44 MZN 1,546

-36.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.36 MZN 85.8

31.62%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$31.7K MZN 2.0M

-5.55%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$22.5K MZN 1.4M

17.15%

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

$156 BGN 273

$71.5 MZN 4,520

118.25%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$7.75 MZN 490

173.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$88.1 MZN 5,573

-82.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$42.26 MZN 2,673

10.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$26.54 MZN 1,679

4.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$7.88 MZN 499

27.16%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$129 MZN 8,158

494.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,162 MZN 326.5K

147.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$49.15 MZN 3,109

82.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$55.3 MZN 3,496

-26.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$77.2 MZN 4,881

37.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$78.1 MZN 4,940

33.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$536 MZN 33.9K

48.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$382 MZN 24.2K

58.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,061 MZN 67.1K

47.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$566 MZN 35.8K

87.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$4,129 MZN 261.1K

5.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,051 MZN 129.7K

58.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$325 MZN 20.6K

435.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-88.44%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Maputo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Maputo

$382 33.8% 37.1% $225

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Maputo

$225 19.9% 21.7% $62

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Maputo

$150 13.3% 41.3% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Maputo

$167 14.8% 13.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Maputo

$117 10.3% 23.9% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Maputo

$58 5.1% 13.1% $8.8

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Maputo

$33 2.9% 14.4% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $536 in Maputo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 435% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $63.0 in Maputo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $225 – making Maputo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇿 Maputo

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

05:06 5:06 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,244,227 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Mozambican Metical MZN MT

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 MZN = 1.58 USD

100 MZN = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MZN, 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 = 0.509 EUR).

Mozambican Metical exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 63.25 MZN (100 MZN = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.94 MZN (100 MZN = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Maputo 7,690 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
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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 Maputo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,109 in Maputo – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,663 in Maputo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maputo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $129 in Maputo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maputo, where all-in costs run around $1,109, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Maputo 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 $1,109 in Maputo to $1,589 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 Maputo. 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.