Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Port Blair

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Blair: $361 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,600
/mo nomad
Port Blair
🇮🇳 India
$361
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Port Blair

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $361 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,600
  • Port Blair $361

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $575 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,490
  • Port Blair $575

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $790 in Port Blair, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,380
  • Port Blair $790

Sofia costs about 343% more than Port Blair, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Port Blair is 73% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.96 BGN 29.51
$2.04 ₹194
731.37%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$68.3 BGN 119
$10.50 ₹998
550.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.62 BGN 20.21
$3.62 ₹343
220.99%
Cappuccino
$3.43 BGN 5.98
$1.59 ₹151
115.72%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.34 BGN 4.08
$0.39 ₹37.45
500.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 BGN 3.19
$0.13 ₹11.93
1307.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$1.78 ₹169
91.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.44 BGN 7.73
$2.97 ₹282
49.49%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 BGN 3.42
$0.67 ₹63.5
194.03%
White Bread (500g)
$1.49 BGN 2.59
$0.44 ₹41.58
238.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 BGN 4.05
$0.66 ₹62.3
253.03%
Eggs
$4.41 BGN 7.68
$0.89 ₹84.9
395.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.54 BGN 20.08
$4.40 ₹418
162.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.88 BGN 15.44
$2.80 ₹266
217.14%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.51 BGN 30.46
-
-
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.74
$1.84 ₹175
16.85%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 BGN 3.60
$0.63 ₹60.0
228.57%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.37
$0.88 ₹83.1
119.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.25 BGN 7.39
$0.44 ₹42.01
865.91%
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 BGN 1.79
$0.34 ₹32.63
202.94%
Onion (1kg)
$0.88 BGN 1.54
$0.37 ₹34.71
137.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.07
$0.43 ₹40.72
176.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 BGN 1.55
$0.29 ₹27.50
206.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.23 BGN 7.35
$4.88 ₹463
-13.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.87 BGN 13.69
$7.36 ₹699
6.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 BGN 2.06
$1.60 ₹152
-26.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.89 BGN 3.29
$2.66 ₹253
-28.95%
Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)
-
$4.95 ₹470
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 BGN 1.62
$0.25 ₹23.51
272.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.30 BGN 49.24
$7.59 ₹721
272.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.93
$0.86 ₹81.4
95.35%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 BGN 1.68
$0.27 ₹25.85
255.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.36 BGN 26.73
$1.61 ₹153
854.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.77 BGN 3.09
$1.07 ₹102
65.42%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.5K BGN 53.1K
$12.4K ₹1.2M
146.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.1K BGN 43.6K
$19.5K ₹1.9M
28.50%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$157 BGN 273
$34.47 ₹3,274
355.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.12 BGN 36.74
$3.35 ₹318
530.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.32 BGN 26.65
$6.62 ₹628
131.42%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.39 BGN 80.7
$14.02 ₹1,332
230.88%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$28.09 BGN 48.87
$6.34 ₹602
343.06%
Cinema Ticket
$10.04 BGN 17.46
$3.88 ₹368
158.76%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$775 BGN 1,348
$47.72 ₹4,532
1523.49%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.5K BGN 21.8K
$1,410 ₹133.9K
789.33%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.1 BGN 153
$21.61 ₹2,052
307.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.39 BGN 72.0
$23.66 ₹2,246
74.94%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 BGN 186
$38.80 ₹3,684
175.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$106 BGN 185
$27.72 ₹2,633
283.30%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$770 BGN 1,340
$87.9 ₹8,350
775.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$602 BGN 1,048
$72.2 ₹6,854
734.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,564 BGN 2,721
$261 ₹24.8K
499.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,036 BGN 1,803
$173 ₹16.4K
499.70%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,567 BGN 7,946
$970 ₹92.1K
370.86%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,162 BGN 5,502
$520 ₹49.4K
508.43%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Port Blair
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,742 BGN 3,031
$637 ₹60.4K
173.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
8.86
-67.38%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Port Blair: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$602
Port Blair
$72 88% $530
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$291
Port Blair
$98 66.3% $193
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Port Blair
$63 75.2% $191
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Port Blair
$44 77% $149
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Port Blair
$50 67.4% $104
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$66
Port Blair
$22 67.2% $45
Getting Around
Sofia
$39
Port Blair
$11 72% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $87.9 in Port Blair. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 174% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Sofia versus $11.00 in Port Blair. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $98.0 – making Port Blair the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇮🇳 Port Blair
🕒 Local time
19:52 7:52 PM
22:22 10:22 PM
2 h 30 min ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
108,500
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Port Blair 7,450 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Port Blair

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 Port Blair: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Port Blair cheaper than Sofia?
Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 343%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $541 in Port Blair. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Blair, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $775 per month in Sofia and $47.72 in Port Blair. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Sofia and in Port Blair?
Groceries cost about 196% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Sofia or in Port Blair?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Port Blair, where all-in costs run around $361, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Port Blair it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sofia or Port Blair more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Port Blair – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Port Blair?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Port Blair. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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