Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Upington

For one person, living is cheaper in Upington: $1,133 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Upington
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Upington Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Upington

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,133

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Upington

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,133 in Upington, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Upington $1,133

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $1,760 in Upington, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Upington $1,760

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,388 in Upington, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Upington $2,388

Sofia costs about 41% more than Upington, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Upington is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$12.40 R 204

36.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$37.12 R 612

83.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$5.69 R 93.7

104.22%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.74 R 28.68

97.13%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.04 R 17.17

125.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.76 R 12.58

140.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.73 R 28.48

97.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.82 R 46.42

57.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$0.89 R 14.65

121.35%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.25 R 20.66

19.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.65 R 27.26

41.21%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.64 R 43.52

67.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$8.45 R 139

36.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$5.12 R 84.3

73.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$7.27 R 120

140.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.04 R 33.55

5.39%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.71 R 28.20

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.78 R 29.35

8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.84 R 30.29

130.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.51 R 24.81

-31.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.58 R 25.95

-44.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.27 R 20.96

-6.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.02 R 16.78

-12.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$2.76 R 45.51

53.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$3.73 R 61.4

110.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.28 R 21.09

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.75 R 28.88

8.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.74 R 28.72

-46.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.55 R 9.03

205.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.96 R 15.86

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$10.66 R 176

44.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.50 R 24.69

18.00%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$31.3K R 514.9K

-2.44%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$34.0K R 560.5K

-26.28%

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

$157 BGN 273

$146 R 2,404

7.66%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$37.98 R 626

-44.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$38.45 R 633

-60.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$27.77 R 458

67.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$12.05 R 198

133.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$6.94 R 114

44.67%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$103 R 1,691

654.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$5,463 R 90.0K

129.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$61.2 R 1,008

43.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$33.44 R 551

23.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$116 R 1,916

-8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$96.9 R 1,597

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$394 R 6,494

95.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$369 R 6,084

63.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$616 R 10.2K

153.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$737 R 12.1K

40.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$763 R 12.6K

498.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$736 R 12.1K

329.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$776 R 12.8K

124.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

11.38

-74.60%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Upington: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Upington

$369 32.6% 38.7% $233

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Upington

$190 16.8% 34.5% $100

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Upington

$159 14% 37.6% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Upington

$222 19.6% 14.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Upington

$139 12.2% 10.1% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Upington

$42 3.7% 37.3% $25

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Upington

$12 * 1.1% 68% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $394 in Upington. 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 125% 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 $37.00 in Upington. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $190 – making Upington the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇿🇦 Upington

🕒 Local time

03:05 3:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

74,834

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 21, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 21, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Upington 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Upington

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 Upington: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,600 in Sofia, $1,133 in Upington – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $1,700 in Upington. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Upington, 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 $68.0 in Sofia and $37.00 in Upington. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% 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 Upington, where all-in costs run around $1,133, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Upington 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 $1,133 in Upington to $1,600 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 Upington. 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.