Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Menzel Temime

For one person, living is cheaper in Menzel Temime: $699 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Menzel Temime
Learn more

Menzel Temime Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Menzel Temime

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Menzel Temime

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $699 in Menzel Temime.

Sofia $1,600
Menzel Temime $699

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,107 in Menzel Temime.

Sofia $2,490
Menzel Temime $1,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,515 in Menzel Temime.

Sofia $3,380
Menzel Temime $1,515

Living in Sofia is roughly 129% more expensive than in Menzel Temime, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Menzel Temime is 48% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$5.50 TND 16.46

208.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$16.53 TND 49.51

312.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$4.78 TND 14.31

143.10%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.58 TND 4.74

117.09%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$0.65 TND 1.96

260.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.27 TND 0.81

577.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.63 TND 4.88

109.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$1.66 TND 4.98

167.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$0.47 TND 1.40

319.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.20 TND 0.61

645.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.84 TND 5.50

26.63%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$1.50 TND 4.49

194.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$14.81 TND 44.35

-22.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$6.27 TND 18.79

41.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$14.58 TND 43.66

20.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.66 TND 4.99

29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$4.43 TND 13.28

-53.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.31 TND 3.91

47.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$0.92 TND 2.77

361.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.97 TND 2.91

6.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.80 TND 2.41

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.48 TND 1.45

147.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.30 TND 0.91

196.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$3.34 TND 9.99

26.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$4.90 TND 14.67

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.18 TND 3.52

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.38 TND 4.13

36.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.35 TND 1.03

165.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$9.69 TND 29.01

192.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.31 TND 0.93

441.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.29 TND 0.87

231.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$4.62 TND 13.83

232.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.84 TND 2.51

110.71%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$40.0K TND 119.7K

-23.71%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$37.1K TND 111.2K

-32.47%

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

$157 BGN 273

$44.22 TND 132

255.22%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$10.32 TND 30.90

104.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$19.90 TND 59.6

-23.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$26.69 TND 79.9

73.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$12.98 TND 38.87

116.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$3.29 TND 9.85

205.17%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$61.4 TND 184

1162.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$1,942 TND 5,815

545.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$47.71 TND 143

84.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$68.4 TND 205

-39.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$111 TND 333

-3.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$67.0 TND 201

58.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$203 TND 609

278.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$141 TND 422

327.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$395 TND 1,182

296.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$253 TND 756

310.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,057 TND 3,167

331.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$689 TND 2,065

358.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-73.73%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Menzel Temime: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Menzel Temime

$141 20.2% 76.6% $461

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Menzel Temime

$213 30.5% 26.8% $78

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Menzel Temime

$92 13.2% 63.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Menzel Temime

$74 10.6% 61.5% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Menzel Temime

$132 18.9% 14.1% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Menzel Temime

$33 4.8% 49.9% $33

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Menzel Temime

$13 1.8% 66.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $203 in Menzel Temime. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68.0 in Sofia vs $17.00 in Menzel Temime for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $213 per month, with Menzel Temime cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇳 Menzel Temime

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

65,645

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Menzel Temime 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Menzel Temime

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 Menzel Temime: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Menzel Temime is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 129% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,400 in Sofia and $1,049 in Menzel Temime to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $770 in Sofia versus $203 in Menzel Temime. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $61.4 in Menzel Temime. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $699 in Menzel Temime versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Menzel Temime but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Menzel Temime the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Menzel Temime is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Menzel Temime 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 Menzel Temime gentler on the wallet – expenses run 129% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.