Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $477 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mbarara

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $477 in Mbarara, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Mbarara $477

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $755 in Mbarara, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Mbarara $755

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,032 in Mbarara, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Mbarara $1,032

Sofia costs about 232% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Mbarara is 65% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.36 UGX 9,967

602.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$23.34 UGX 98.4K

189.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.09 UGX 29.9K

64.74%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.45 UGX 10.3K

39.18%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.36 UGX 1,525

555.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.24 UGX 1,011

595.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.14 UGX 4,787

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.77 UGX 7,485

155.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.49 UGX 2,064

295.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.81 UGX 3,411

91.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.18 UGX 4,978

99.15%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.41 UGX 5,940

226.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$4.17 UGX 17.6K

175.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.29 UGX 18.1K

101.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$3.18 UGX 13.4K

445.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.95 UGX 8,217

10.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.36 UGX 5,755

45.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.26 UGX 5,328

45.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.19 UGX 5,001

258.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.20 UGX 5,063

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.20 UGX 5,063

-25.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.74 UGX 3,139

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.49 UGX 2,067

69.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.32 UGX 9,803

89.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.19 UGX 30.3K

3.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.06 UGX 4,468

9.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.84 UGX 7,749

3.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.72 UGX 3,039

27.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.49 UGX 2,073

240.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.30 UGX 1,271

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

474.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.34 UGX 5,647

29.85%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$7,152 UGX 30.2M

318.55%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$6,894 UGX 29.1M

262.84%

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

$158 BGN 275

$66.6 UGX 280.8K

137.10%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$11.18 UGX 47.2K

90.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$32.93 UGX 138.9K

-54.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$17.74 UGX 74.8K

164.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.84 UGX 28.9K

46.20%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$265 UGX 1.1M

207.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$15.8K UGX 66.5M

-7.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$12.89 UGX 54.4K

575.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$12.43 UGX 52.4K

207.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$30.15 UGX 127.2K

250.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$41.63 UGX 175.6K

157.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$83.3 UGX 351.3K

822.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$71.1 UGX 300.0K

733.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$220 UGX 928.3K

595.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$162 UGX 684.1K

553.91%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.75

-86.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Mbarara

$71 14.9% 88% $522

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Mbarara

$134 28.1% 53.4% $154

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Mbarara

$81 17% 68% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Mbarara

$111 23.2% 43% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Mbarara

$44 9.2% 71.3% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Mbarara

$31 6.6% 53% $35

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Mbarara

$4.9 * 1% 87.1% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $83 in Mbarara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $23 in Mbarara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $134 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

195,013

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,734 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Mbarara 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Mbarara

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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 232%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $716 in Mbarara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $83 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $23 in Mbarara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 115% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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