Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mindelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Mindelo: $388 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Mindelo

🇨🇻 Cape Verde

$388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mindelo

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $388 in Mindelo, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Mindelo $388

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $894 in Mindelo, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Mindelo $894

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,399 in Mindelo, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Mindelo $1,399

Sofia costs about 308% more than Mindelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Mindelo is 71% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.86 CVE 867

87.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$54.8 CVE 5,358

23.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.14 CVE 112

199.12%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.28 CVE 126

84.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.04 CVE 102

60.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.74 CVE 268

45.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.48 CVE 144

206.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.45 CVE 142

33.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.10 CVE 108

40.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.78 CVE 76.4

201.28%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.57 CVE 251

78.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$15.99 CVE 1,565

-28.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$17.27 CVE 1,690

0.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.12 CVE 208

1.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.97 CVE 193

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.91 CVE 285

-37.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.08 CVE 302

38.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.85 CVE 83.1

22.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.68 CVE 164

-47.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.03 CVE 100

15.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.71 CVE 69.3

16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$5.00 CVE 489

-12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.04 CVE 787

-7.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.96 CVE 192

-40.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.06 CVE 202

-7.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.42 CVE 40.77

119.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$30.05 CVE 2,940

-6.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.56 CVE 153

7.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.55 CVE 151

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$9.97 CVE 975

66.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.65 CVE 162

5.45%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

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

$158 BGN 275

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$2.98 CVE 292

833.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

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

$815 BGN 1,419

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$358 CVE 35.1K

326.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$254 CVE 24.9K

316.86%

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

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mindelo: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Mindelo

–

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Mindelo

–

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Mindelo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Mindelo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Mindelo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Mindelo

–

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Mindelo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $55 in Mindelo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $237 – making Mindelo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇻 Mindelo

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

17:20 5:20 PM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

70,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Cabo Verdean Escudo CVE $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 CVE = 10.22 USD

1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CVE, 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 = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Cabo Verdean Escudo exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 97.85 CVE (100 CVE = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 110 CVE (1,000 CVE = 9.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Mindelo 5,370 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Mindelo

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 Mindelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 308%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $582 in Mindelo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mindelo, where all-in costs run around $388, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Mindelo 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 $388 in Mindelo to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.