Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $614 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Nanyuki, Kenya
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Nanyuki
🇰🇪 Kenya
$614
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Nanyuki

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $614 in Nanyuki.

  • Sofia $1,585
  • Nanyuki $614

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,028 in Nanyuki.

  • Sofia $2,486
  • Nanyuki $1,028

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,442 in Nanyuki.

  • Sofia $3,387
  • Nanyuki $1,442

Living in Sofia is roughly 158% more expensive than in Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Nanyuki is 55% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$6.68 KES 868
148.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$35.11 KES 4,559
92.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$6.49 KES 842
79.97%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$2.59 KES 336
31.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$0.69 KES 89.4
242.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.65 KES 84.9
156.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$2.28 KES 296
75.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$2.72 KES 353
66.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$0.93 KES 121
108.60%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$0.58 KES 75.3
167.24%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$1.13 KES 147
107.96%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$1.74 KES 225
164.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$10.78 KES 1,399
6.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$6.62 KES 859
30.66%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$6.15 KES 799
181.95%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$3.42 KES 444
-37.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.08 KES 140
83.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$2.11 KES 274
-13.27%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$1.15 KES 149
271.30%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$1.15 KES 149
-9.57%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$1.10 KES 143
-19.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$0.73 KES 95.2
63.01%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.81 KES 105
2.47%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$3.39 KES 441
29.79%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$11.45 KES 1,487
-35.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$2.17 KES 282
-46.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$2.78 KES 361
-31.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$1.57 KES 204
6.37%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$1.56 KES 203
-45.51%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$2.96 KES 385
460.47%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$1.53 KES 198
13.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$19.1K KES 2.5M
56.84%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$22.0K KES 2.9M
13.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$57.0 KES 7,399
177.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$15.03 KES 1,951
41.52%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$34.81 KES 4,519
-56.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$7.73 KES 1,003
29.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$275 KES 35.8K
196.07%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$12.3K KES 1.6M
18.97%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$27.91 KES 3,624
212.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$29.57 KES 3,838
29.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$69.4 KES 9,006
52.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$59.4 KES 7,716
80.35%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$78.2 KES 10.1K
883.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$66.6 KES 8,644
790.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$229 KES 29.8K
566.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$194 KES 25.2K
447.30%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Nanyuki
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$113 KES 14.7K
1472.83%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
14.71
-80.35%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Nanyuki: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Nanyuki
$67 88.8% $527
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Nanyuki
$206 28.5% $82
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Nanyuki
$126 50.2% $127
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Nanyuki
$107 45% $87
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Nanyuki
$84 44.9% $68
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Nanyuki
$15 * 76.9% $51
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Nanyuki
$9.4 * 75.1% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $78 in Nanyuki. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 16 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $35 in Nanyuki for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $206 per month, with Nanyuki cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇰🇪 Nanyuki
🕒 Local time
05:25 5:25 AM
06:25 6:25 AM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
32,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Nanyuki 4,940 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sofia or Nanyuki?
Nanyuki wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Nanyuki the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Sofia or in Nanyuki?
Average pay in Sofia is about 16 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Sofia compared to Nanyuki?
Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $78 in Nanyuki. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Are groceries more expensive in Sofia or in Nanyuki?
Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
How much does it cost to live in Sofia compared to Nanyuki?
All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $614 in Nanyuki – Nanyuki is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
Can you live on $800/month in Sofia or in Nanyuki?
At $614 in Nanyuki versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Nanyuki but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Nanyuki the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Sofia or Nanyuki?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Should I move to Sofia or to Nanyuki?
It comes down to priorities – Nanyuki wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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