Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Tema

For one person, living is cheaper in Tema: $738 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Tema
Learn more

Tema Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Tema

🇬🇭 Ghana

$738

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Tema

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $738 in Tema, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Tema $738

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,173 in Tema, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Tema $1,173

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,608 in Tema, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Tema $1,608

Sofia costs about 115% more than Tema, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Tema is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$7.03 GHS 82.6

143.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$27.88 GHS 328

139.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$5.05 GHS 59.3

-32.28%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.90 GHS 10.57

168.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.30 GHS 3.55

520.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$3.29 GHS 38.67

1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.61 GHS 30.66

73.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$3.16 GHS 37.18

-39.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.60 GHS 18.84

-5.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.07 GHS 24.34

6.76%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.30 GHS 27.06

91.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$4.38 GHS 51.4

163.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$3.17 GHS 37.21

177.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$3.38 GHS 39.73

402.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.61 GHS 30.71

-16.86%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.13 GHS 25.06

-4.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.21 GHS 26.01

-16.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.49 GHS 41.02

22.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$3.40 GHS 39.98

-69.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.82 GHS 33.12

-67.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.45 GHS 5.25

166.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.67 GHS 7.86

37.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$1.26 GHS 14.86

241.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$8.54 GHS 100

-14.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.10 GHS 24.63

-43.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.96 GHS 34.79

-36.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.68 GHS 19.73

-48.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$41.17 GHS 484

-31.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.10 GHS 24.73

-17.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.41 GHS 4.83

134.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.19 GHS 13.98

50.42%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

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

$156 BGN 273

$78.2 GHS 919

99.49%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$15.22 GHS 179

39.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$82.5 GHS 970

-81.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$24.06 GHS 283

94.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.80 GHS 103

13.86%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$174 GHS 2,050

339.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$2,544 GHS 29.9K

402.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$13.07 GHS 154

586.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$15.40 GHS 181

165.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$42.37 GHS 498

150.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$32.20 GHS 378

225.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$126 GHS 1,485

530.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$71.3 GHS 838

751.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$426 GHS 5,008

266.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$209 GHS 2,456

407.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$9,909 GHS 116.4K

-56.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$5,903 GHS 69.4K

-44.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$419 GHS 4,921

315.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-91.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Tema: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Tema

$71 9.6% 88.3% $536

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Tema

$216 28.9% 25% $72

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Tema

$143 * 19.2% 44% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Tema

$176 23.6% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Tema

$46 6.2% 69.8% $107

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Tema

$42 5.6% 37.6% $25

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Tema

$52 7% 36.4% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $126 in Tema. 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 315% 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 $28.00 in Tema. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $216 – making Tema the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇬🇭 Tema

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

04:49 4:49 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

160,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 GHS = 8.51 USD

100 GHS = 7.59 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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 = 0.509 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 11.75 GHS (100 GHS = 8.51 USD). 1 EUR = 13.18 GHS (100 GHS = 7.59 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Tema 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Tema

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 Tema: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $738 in Tema – roughly 115% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,107 in Tema. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $738 in Tema. That's a gap of about 115%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Tema. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Tema, where all-in costs run around $738, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Tema it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $738 in Tema to $1,589 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Tema. 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.