Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yaounde and Sofia

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.

38

Cost of Living Index in Yaounde
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Yaounde Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Yaounde

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$789

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Yaounde 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 Yaounde and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Yaounde $789
Sofia $1,589

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

Yaounde $1,225
Sofia $2,456

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

Yaounde $1,661
Sofia $3,324

Yaounde is about 50% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.51 FCFA 2,051

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-79.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.5 FCFA 29.5K

$66.9 BGN 117

-24.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.22 FCFA 3,053

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-55.65%

Cappuccino

$1.96 FCFA 1,145

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-42.69%

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

$1.53 FCFA 898

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 FCFA 318

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 FCFA 744

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-61.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 FCFA 1,014

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-61.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.66 FCFA 2,143

$1.92 BGN 3.36

90.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.09 FCFA 638

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-27.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 FCFA 772

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-40.27%

Eggs

$2.10 FCFA 1,228

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-52.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 FCFA 7,923

$11.56 BGN 20.22

17.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 FCFA 3,605

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-29.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 FCFA 3,919

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-60.52%

Apples (1kg)

$5.19 FCFA 3,037

$2.17 BGN 3.79

139.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 FCFA 1,178

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-1.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 FCFA 1,180

$1.84 BGN 3.22

9.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 FCFA 803

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-68.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 FCFA 960

$1.03 BGN 1.80

59.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.45 FCFA 847

$0.93 BGN 1.62

55.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 FCFA 635

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 FCFA 388

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 981

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-60.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.32 FCFA 4,869

$7.33 BGN 12.83

13.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 FCFA 803

$1.18 BGN 2.06

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 FCFA 1,146

$1.87 BGN 3.28

4.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 FCFA 339

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.43 FCFA 10.2K

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-38.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.59 FCFA 343

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-66.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 FCFA 262

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-53.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.06 FCFA 3,546

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-61.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 FCFA 826

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-21.23%

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

$32.4K FCFA 19.0M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

8.22%

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

$21.3K FCFA 12.5M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-19.25%

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

$80.3 FCFA 47.0K

$156 BGN 273

-48.52%

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

$17.09 FCFA 9,997

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-19.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 FCFA 30.4K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

231.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.33 FCFA 13.6K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-50.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.27 FCFA 4,251

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-73.79%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 FCFA 5,025

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-14.27%

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

$610 FCFA 357.1K

$766 BGN 1,341

-20.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,355 FCFA 1.4M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-81.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.95 FCFA 9,915

$89.7 BGN 157

-81.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.00 FCFA 15.8K

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-33.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$25.98 FCFA 15.2K

$106 BGN 186

-75.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.7 FCFA 32.6K

$105 BGN 183

-46.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$140 FCFA 81.9K

$796 BGN 1,393

-82.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 FCFA 108.2K

$607 BGN 1,063

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$409 FCFA 239.5K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-73.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 FCFA 123.2K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-80.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$847 FCFA 495.6K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-80.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$593 FCFA 347.2K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-81.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$190 FCFA 111.1K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-89.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

349.83%

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

Last update for Yaounde: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Yaounde

$253 32%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 13.5% $34

Accommodation & Living

Yaounde

$185 23.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 228% $422

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yaounde

$149 18.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 29.2% $44

Eating Out

Yaounde

$85 10.8%

Sofia

$256 16% 200% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Yaounde

$57 7.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 172% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Yaounde

$41 5.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 64.9% $26

Getting Around

Yaounde

$23 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 69% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $140 in Yaounde versus $796 in Sofia. 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 $50.0 in Yaounde versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $287 – making Yaounde the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Yaounde

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:18 6:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

2 h ahead of Yaounde

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,817,524 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.52 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

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).

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).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Yaounde Sofia 4,470 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Yaounde
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

Yaounde vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $789 in Yaounde, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,183 per month in Yaounde and $2,384 in Sofia. 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 $789 in Yaounde and $1,589 in Sofia. 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.