Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $721 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mombasa

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $721 in Mombasa, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Mombasa $721

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,150 in Mombasa, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Mombasa $1,150

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,578 in Mombasa, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Mombasa $1,578

Sofia costs about 120% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Mombasa is 47% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$2.75 KES 357

502.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$25.43 KES 3,302

166.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.28 KES 1,335

13.62%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.68 KES 348

27.24%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.69 KES 89.5

242.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.52 KES 67.4

221.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.34 KES 304

70.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.31 KES 430

36.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.98 KES 127

97.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.50 KES 64.7

210.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.53 KES 198

53.59%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.76 KES 228

161.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$13.92 KES 1,808

-17.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.95 KES 642

74.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$5.41 KES 702

220.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.09 KES 271

2.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.19 KES 154

66.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.83 KES 237

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.72 KES 93.1

493.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.72 KES 93.8

44.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.06 KES 137

-16.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.60 KES 78.1

98.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.42 KES 54.6

97.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$4.10 KES 532

7.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.56 KES 1,241

-22.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.92 KES 250

-39.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.85 KES 371

-33.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.80 KES 104

15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$38.88 KES 5,048

-27.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.17 KES 411

-47.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.75 KES 227

-51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.70 KES 611

252.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.60 KES 208

8.75%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$11.8K KES 1.5M

153.54%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

105.64%

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

$158 BGN 275

$79.4 KES 10.3K

98.74%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.00 KES 1,168

136.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$35.29 KES 4,582

-57.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$17.93 KES 2,328

161.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$19.22 KES 2,496

44.75%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$15.25 KES 1,980

-34.43%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$87.3 KES 11.3K

834.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,448 KES 707.4K

168.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$12.90 KES 1,674

575.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$13.67 KES 1,775

180.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$23.36 KES 3,032

352.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$46.73 KES 6,067

129.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$229 KES 29.7K

235.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$158 KES 20.5K

275.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$533 KES 69.2K

186.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$373 KES 48.4K

184.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$5,392 KES 700.0K

-16.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$3,834 KES 497.8K

-18.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$313 KES 40.7K

468.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-77.77%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Mombasa

$158 21.9% 73.3% $435

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Mombasa

$185 25.7% 35.6% $102

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Mombasa

$108 15% 57.3% $145

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Mombasa

$124 17.2% 36.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Mombasa

$43 6% 71.4% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 27.6% $18

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Mombasa

$54 7.5% 43.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $229 in Mombasa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $25 in Mombasa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $185 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

00:37 12:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, 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).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Mombasa 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $721 in Mombasa – Mombasa comes out roughly 55% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,082 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $25 in Mombasa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $721 in Mombasa. That makes Mombasa about 55% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $721, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mombasa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.