Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Port Elizabeth

For one person, living is cheaper in Port Elizabeth: $1,233 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Port Elizabeth $1,233

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,847 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Port Elizabeth $1,847

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,461 in Port Elizabeth, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Port Elizabeth $2,461

Sofia costs about 29% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Port Elizabeth is 8% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$10.62 R 175

61.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$42.87 R 707

56.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$6.02 R 99.3

95.51%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.12 R 35.03

61.32%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.04 R 17.24

132.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.72 R 11.93

158.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.76 R 45.50

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.06 R 50.5

48.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.14 R 18.74

68.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.04 R 17.10

45.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.44 R 23.78

53.47%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.81 R 46.33

56.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$8.58 R 142

34.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$5.47 R 90.2

60.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$8.28 R 137

104.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.11 R 34.80

2.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.54 R 25.46

32.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.61 R 26.56

14.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.78 R 29.43

141.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.73 R 28.56

-40.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.42 R 23.46

-34.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.29 R 21.27

-6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.01 R 16.70

-8.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.13 R 51.6

37.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$4.82 R 79.6

52.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.25 R 20.63

-5.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.82 R 30.06

2.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.09 R 17.96

-20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$36.08 R 595

-22.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.12 R 35.03

-17.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.50 R 8.20

92.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$8.45 R 139

83.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.45 R 23.86

23.45%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$35.4K R 584.3K

-15.33%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$34.0K R 561.2K

-22.48%

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

$156 BGN 273

$123 R 2,024

27.13%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$35.08 R 579

-39.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$45.22 R 746

-65.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$31.88 R 526

46.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$22.73 R 375

22.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$10.61 R 175

-5.56%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$176 R 2,902

335.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$6,192 R 102.2K

106.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$70.6 R 1,164

27.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$38.27 R 631

6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$110 R 1,807

-3.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$96.5 R 1,593

8.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$612 R 10.1K

30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$418 R 6,891

45.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$805 R 13.3K

94.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$689 R 11.4K

53.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$750 R 12.4K

481.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$531 R 8,754

512.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,612 R 26.6K

7.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

11.94

-75.80%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4% 31.2% $190

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2% 31.5% $91

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8% 39.3% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7% 5.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7% 7.7% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4% 20.5% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7% 18% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $612 in Port Elizabeth. 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 8% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $197 – making Port Elizabeth the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🕒 Local time

14:49 2:49 PM

13:49 1:49 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,050,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Port Elizabeth 8,530 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Port Elizabeth

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 Elizabeth: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 29% more than Port Elizabeth, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,849 in Port Elizabeth. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Port Elizabeth, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $43.00 in Port Elizabeth. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Port Elizabeth, where all-in costs run around $1,233, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Port Elizabeth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Port Elizabeth costs $1,233 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Port Elizabeth. 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.