Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sabratha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
Learn more

Sabratha Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sabratha

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $406 in Sabratha, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Sabratha $406

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $597 in Sabratha, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Sabratha $597

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $787 in Sabratha, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Sabratha $787

Sofia costs about 292% more than Sabratha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Sabratha is 70% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.04 LYD 19.46

454.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$9.22 LYD 59.1

613.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$1.52 LYD 9.75

644.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.48 LYD 3.09

614.58%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$0.30 LYD 1.90

703.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.07 LYD 0.44

2542.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.89 LYD 5.67

126.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.22 LYD 1.41

609.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.10 LYD 7.07

111.82%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.37 LYD 8.76

218.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$5.27 LYD 33.79

123.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$3.48 LYD 22.32

153.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$9.58 LYD 61.4

82.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.00 LYD 12.79

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.54 LYD 9.89

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.73 LYD 4.70

164.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$0.57 LYD 3.64

643.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.49 LYD 3.13

112.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.29 LYD 1.89

193.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.32 LYD 2.06

259.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.17 LYD 1.06

423.53%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$1.84 LYD 11.79

128.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.75 LYD 4.80

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.76 LYD 4.88

121.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.30 LYD 1.89

213.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$0.81 LYD 5.22

1795.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$0.02 LYD 0.14

8350.00%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

30.01%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

22.74%

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

$156 BGN 272

$92.0 LYD 590

69.62%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$3.99 LYD 25.56

440.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$13.73 LYD 88.0

11.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$10.85 LYD 69.5

324.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$7.74 LYD 49.62

260.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$39.51 LYD 253

1859.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$945 LYD 6,055

1255.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$19.54 LYD 125

360.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$17.60 LYD 113

134.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$64.6 LYD 414

62.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$15.66 LYD 100

581.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$158 LYD 1,011

395.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$78.2 LYD 501

663.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$229 LYD 1,466

562.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$110 LYD 705

835.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$281 LYD 1,802

1446.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$185 LYD 1,183

1621.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$189 LYD 1,212

817.57%

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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Sabratha

$78 19.3% 86.9% $519

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Sabratha

$113 27.9% 61% $177

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Sabratha

$36 8.9% 85.8% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Sabratha

$110 27% 43.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Sabratha

$53 13% 65.8% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7% 83.7% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3% 86.3% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $158 in Sabratha. 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 818% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $9.00 in Sabratha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $113 – making Sabratha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🕒 Local time

20:36 8:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

83,398

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Sabratha 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sabratha

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 Sabratha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 292% more than Sabratha, 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 $2,391 per month in Sofia and $609 in Sabratha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $9.00 in Sabratha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 157% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sabratha, where all-in costs run around $406, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Sabratha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sabratha costs $406 versus $1,594 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 Sabratha. 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.