Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Masallatah

For one person, living is cheaper in Masallatah: $369 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
16

Cost of Living Index in Masallatah
Learn more

Masallatah Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Masallatah

🇱🇾 Libya

$369

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Masallatah

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $369 in Masallatah, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Masallatah $369

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $571 in Masallatah, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Masallatah $571

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $773 in Masallatah, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Masallatah $773

Sofia costs about 332% more than Masallatah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Masallatah is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.83 LYD 24.54

340.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$15.66 LYD 100

320.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$2.56 LYD 16.42

342.19%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.15

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.60

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.48 LYD 3.08

614.58%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.46 LYD 2.94

423.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.10 LYD 0.63

1750.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.92 LYD 5.91

119.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.20 LYD 1.28

680.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.17 LYD 7.51

99.15%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.42 LYD 9.12

207.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$5.35 LYD 34.29

119.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$3.49 LYD 22.35

153.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$9.36 LYD 60.0

86.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.26 LYD 14.48

-4.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.49 LYD 9.52

32.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.68 LYD 4.37

183.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.56 LYD 3.56

657.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.71 LYD 4.52

46.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.47 LYD 3.00

80.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.39 LYD 2.52

194.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.16 LYD 1.04

456.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.75 LYD 11.23

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 LYD 6.23

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 LYD 5.25

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$1.96 LYD 12.59

114.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.75 LYD 4.82

124.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.45 LYD 2.87

108.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.02 LYD 0.13

8350.00%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$23.2K LYD 148.4K

28.65%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$21.1K LYD 135.2K

23.87%

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

$156 BGN 272

$93.4 LYD 598

67.16%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$6.20 LYD 39.71

247.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$27.43 LYD 176

-44.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$52.9 LYD 339

1363.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,528 LYD 9,792

737.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$22.85 LYD 146

293.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$17.53 LYD 112

135.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$65.2 LYD 418

61.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$65.1 LYD 417

63.92%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Masallatah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Masallatah

$115 31.3% 60.2% $175

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Masallatah

$46 12.6% 81.8% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Masallatah

$127 34.5% 34.2% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Masallatah

$77 20.8% 50.3% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Masallatah

- * 0% 100%

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Masallatah

$3 * 0.8% 92.2% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $16.00 in Masallatah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $115 – making Masallatah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇱🇾 Masallatah

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Masallatah 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Masallatah

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 Masallatah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 332%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $553 in Masallatah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $369 in Masallatah. That's a gap of about 332%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $52.9 in Masallatah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Masallatah, where all-in costs run around $369, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Masallatah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Masallatah. 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.