Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Yaounde

For one person, living is cheaper in Yaounde: $789 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Yaounde

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $789 in Yaounde, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Yaounde $789

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,225 in Yaounde, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Yaounde $1,225

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,661 in Yaounde, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Yaounde $1,661

Sofia costs about 101% more than Yaounde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Yaounde is 41% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

387.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

32.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

125.48%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

74.49%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.53 FCFA 898

58.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.54 FCFA 318

244.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.27 FCFA 744

162.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

161.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

-47.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.09 FCFA 638

38.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.32 FCFA 772

67.42%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

109.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

-14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

42.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

153.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

-58.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

-8.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.37 FCFA 803

213.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.64 FCFA 960

-37.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.45 FCFA 847

-35.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.09 FCFA 635

10.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.66 FCFA 388

39.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$1.68 FCFA 981

155.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

-11.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.37 FCFA 803

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

-4.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.58 FCFA 339

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

61.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.59 FCFA 343

194.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.45 FCFA 262

113.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

156.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.41 FCFA 826

26.95%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

-7.60%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

23.84%

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

$156 BGN 273

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

94.25%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

-69.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

100.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

281.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

16.65%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$610 FCFA 357.1K

25.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

442.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

429.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

51.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

308.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

87.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$140 FCFA 81.9K

468.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$185 FCFA 108.2K

228.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$409 FCFA 239.5K

281.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$211 FCFA 123.2K

403.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$847 FCFA 495.6K

414.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$593 FCFA 347.2K

447.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$190 FCFA 111.1K

815.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-77.77%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Yaounde

$185 23.3% 69.5% $422

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Yaounde

$253 32% 11.9% $34

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Yaounde

$85 10.8% 66.7% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Yaounde

$149 18.8% 22.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Yaounde

$57 7.1% 63.2% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Yaounde

$41 5.1% 39.3% $26

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Yaounde

$23 2.9% 40.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $140 in Yaounde. 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 816% 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 $50.0 in Yaounde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $253 – making Yaounde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,817,524 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Yaounde 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
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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 Yaounde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $789 in Yaounde – roughly 101% 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 $1,183 in Yaounde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yaounde, 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 $789 in Yaounde. That's a gap of about 101%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Yaounde. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yaounde, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Yaounde 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 $789 in Yaounde 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 Yaounde. 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.