Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $516 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$516

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thika and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Thika and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $516 per month in Thika vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Thika $516
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $880 per month in Thika vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Thika $880
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,245 per month in Thika vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Thika $1,245
Sofia $3,387

Thika is about 67% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Thika sits 62% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.42 KES 444

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-79.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.96 KES 4,409

$67.7 BGN 118

-49.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 KES 813

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-46.40%

Cappuccino

$1.93 KES 251

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-43.40%

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

$0.30 KES 38.65

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-87.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 KES 81.6

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-62.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 KES 255

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-50.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 KES 279

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-52.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.73 KES 95.2

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-62.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 57.6

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-71.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 KES 155

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-48.94%

Eggs

$1.41 KES 183

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-69.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 KES 1,423

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-4.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.73 KES 873

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-22.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.94 KES 511

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-77.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.58 KES 206

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-26.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.61 KES 79.2

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-69.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.74 KES 96.6

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-59.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-73.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.83

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-64.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.45 KES 58.4

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 KES 89.4

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-42.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 50.8

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-53.01%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.79 KES 363

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-36.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 KES 742

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-22.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 KES 231

$1.16 BGN 2.01

53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 KES 256

$1.90 BGN 3.30

3.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 198

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-8.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 KES 125

$0.85 BGN 1.49

12.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 KES 380

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-82.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 KES 184

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-18.97%

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

$19.3K KES 2.5M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-35.39%

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

$21.5K KES 2.8M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

-14.15%

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

$34.90 KES 4,531

$158 BGN 275

-77.89%

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

$14.86 KES 1,930

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-30.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.82 KES 4,520

$15.12 BGN 26.30

130.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.48 KES 5,905

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-2.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$7.47 KES 970

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-25.30%

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

$54.0 KES 7,004

$815 BGN 1,419

-93.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,528 KES 458.1K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-75.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.24 KES 3,666

$87.1 BGN 152

-67.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.33 KES 3,807

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-23.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.2 KES 8,989

$106 BGN 184

-34.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.51 KES 2,532

$107 BGN 187

-81.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$99.5 KES 12.9K

$769 BGN 1,338

-87.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.8 KES 7,379

$593 BGN 1,032

-90.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 KES 35.0K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-82.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 KES 23.1K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-83.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$611 KES 79.3K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-86.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

2.89

409.00%

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

Last update for Thika: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Thika

$154 30%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 86.3% $133

Eating Out

Thika

$87 16.9%

Sofia

$254 16% 191% $166

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$85 16.4%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 130% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.8%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 131% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$60 11.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 10.6% $6.4

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 944% $536

Getting Around

Thika

$6.3 * 1.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 497% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $100 in Thika versus $769 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Thika versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $155 vs $288 – making Thika the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h behind Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Thika Sofia 5,050 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
Sofia

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

Thika vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $516 in Thika, $1,585 in Sofia – Thika comes out roughly 67% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $773 per month in Thika and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $100 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Thika and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Thika, where all-in costs run around $516, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Thika it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Thika – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.