Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Windhoek

For one person, living is cheaper in Windhoek: $1,171 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Windhoek
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Windhoek Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Windhoek

🇳🇦 Namibia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Windhoek

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,171 in Windhoek, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Windhoek $1,171

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,979 in Windhoek, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Windhoek $1,979

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,787 in Windhoek, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Windhoek $2,787

Sofia costs about 36% more than Windhoek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Windhoek is 13% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$11.46 NAD 189

49.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$63.0 NAD 1,040

6.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$5.84 NAD 96.4

101.54%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.35 NAD 38.73

45.53%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.87 NAD 14.32

178.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.87 NAD 14.41

113.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.98 NAD 32.67

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.12 NAD 34.95

113.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.53 NAD 25.27

25.49%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.95 NAD 15.62

58.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.93 NAD 31.81

14.51%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.17 NAD 52.3

38.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$9.47 NAD 156

22.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.63 NAD 109

32.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$7.60 NAD 125

123.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.15 NAD 35.47

0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.89 NAD 31.21

7.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.88 NAD 31.07

-2.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.98 NAD 32.61

116.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.00 NAD 33.07

-48.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.82 NAD 30.00

-48.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.95 NAD 32.14

-38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.07 NAD 17.64

-14.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.32 NAD 54.8

29.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$6.78 NAD 112

8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.41 NAD 23.19

-16.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.42 NAD 23.47

31.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.74 NAD 12.25

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$48.69 NAD 803

-42.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.82 NAD 13.50

112.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.87 NAD 14.34

10.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$15.56 NAD 257

-0.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.34 NAD 22.10

33.58%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$24.3K NAD 400.3K

23.60%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$27.1K NAD 447.1K

-2.70%

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

$156 BGN 273

$139 NAD 2,287

12.54%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$25.91 NAD 428

-18.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$51.4 NAD 847

-69.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$37.58 NAD 620

24.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$10.56 NAD 174

162.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$5.32 NAD 87.7

88.35%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$209 NAD 3,445

267.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,376 NAD 88.7K

137.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$53.9 NAD 890

66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$33.95 NAD 560

20.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$91.0 NAD 1,501

16.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$95.4 NAD 1,574

9.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$492 NAD 8,120

61.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$357 NAD 5,885

70.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,138 NAD 18.8K

37.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$868 NAD 14.3K

22.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,615 NAD 26.6K

169.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$601 NAD 9,922

440.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$989 NAD 16.3K

75.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

11.42

-74.69%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Windhoek: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Windhoek

$357 30.2% 41.3% $251

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Windhoek

$223 18.8% 22.5% $65

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Windhoek

$159 13.4% 38.1% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Windhoek

$216 18.3% 11.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Windhoek

$123 10.4% 19.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Windhoek

$48 4.1% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Windhoek

$57 4.8% 48.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $492 in Windhoek. 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 76% 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 $63.0 in Windhoek. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $223 – making Windhoek the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇦 Windhoek

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

322,500 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Namibian Dollar NAD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 NAD = 6.06 USD

100 NAD = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NAD, 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).

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 NAD (100 NAD = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Windhoek 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Windhoek

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 Windhoek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,171 in Windhoek – roughly 36% 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 $1,756 in Windhoek. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Windhoek, 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 $1,171 in Windhoek. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 73% less in Windhoek. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Windhoek, where all-in costs run around $1,171, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Windhoek 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 $1,171 in Windhoek 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 Windhoek. 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.