Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Thimphu

For one person, living is cheaper in Thimphu: $510 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thimphu
Learn more

Thimphu Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Thimphu

🇧🇹 Bhutan

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Thimphu

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $510 in Thimphu, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Thimphu $510

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $799 in Thimphu, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Thimphu $799

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,088 in Thimphu, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Thimphu $1,088

Sofia costs about 212% more than Thimphu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Thimphu is 62% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$2.56 BTN 248

567.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$14.16 BTN 1,371

372.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$4.89 BTN 474

140.70%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.31 BTN 127

161.07%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.49 BTN 47.08

393.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.17 BTN 16.46

994.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.55 BTN 247

30.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$1.60 BTN 155

183.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$0.77 BTN 74.7

149.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.06 BTN 102

42.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.03 BTN 100

114.56%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.84 BTN 179

139.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$3.69 BTN 357

213.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$4.01 BTN 388

119.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$4.01 BTN 389

323.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.51 BTN 243

-13.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.56 BTN 151

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.57 BTN 152

17.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$0.71 BTN 68.6

504.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.56 BTN 54.2

83.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.70 BTN 68.3

32.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.39 BTN 37.98

207.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.31 BTN 30.20

196.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.81 BTN 369

12.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$2.91 BTN 282

151.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$0.62 BTN 60.5

90.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.31 BTN 127

42.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.76 BTN 73.5

14.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$5.18 BTN 502

443.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.75 BTN 72.6

132.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.52 BTN 147

-36.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$0.16 BTN 15.50

9612.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$0.76 BTN 73.3

135.53%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$16.8K BTN 1.6M

78.98%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$15.0K BTN 1.5M

75.22%

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

$156 BGN 273

$34.28 BTN 3,319

354.96%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$35.89 BTN 3,475

-40.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$24.76 BTN 2,398

-36.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$46.99 BTN 4,550

-0.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$7.41 BTN 718

274.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$3.17 BTN 307

216.09%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$45.87 BTN 4,442

1570.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$576 BTN 55.7K

2120.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$50.3 BTN 4,872

78.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$25.08 BTN 2,429

63.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$67.8 BTN 6,566

56.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$14.29 BTN 1,383

632.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$126 BTN 12.2K

530.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$86.0 BTN 8,324

606.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$187 BTN 18.1K

734.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$156 BTN 15.1K

578.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$6,543 BTN 633.6K

-33.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$384 BTN 37.2K

746.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$351 BTN 34.0K

395.18%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Thimphu: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Thimphu

$86 16.7% 85.8% $521

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Thimphu

$125 24.2% 56.6% $163

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Thimphu

$69 13.5% 72.9% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Thimphu

$95 18.4% 50.8% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Thimphu

$71 13.7% 53.9% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Thimphu

$53 10.3% 20.1% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Thimphu

$17 3.2% 56.6% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $126 in Thimphu. 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 395% 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 $14.00 in Thimphu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $125 – making Thimphu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇹 Thimphu

🕒 Local time

05:45 5:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

98,676 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bhutanese Ngultrum BTN Nu.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 BTN = 10.33 USD

1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BTN, 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).

Bhutanese Ngultrum exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.83 BTN (100 BTN = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 BTN (1,000 BTN = 9.21 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Thimphu 6,110 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
Thimphu

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 Thimphu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $510 in Thimphu – roughly 212% 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 $764 in Thimphu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thimphu, 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 $510 in Thimphu. That's a gap of about 212%.

Public transport costs about 443% less in Thimphu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Thimphu, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Thimphu 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 $510 in Thimphu 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 Thimphu. 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.