Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Zambia: $905 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Zambia
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Zambia Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇲 Zambia

$905

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Zambia is 22.5% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 43% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Zambia is 31.9% cheaper than Sofia without rent, and 30% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.84 ZMW 136

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.13 ZMW 597

$66.9 BGN 117

-54.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.20 ZMW 103

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-55.82%

Cappuccino

$3.03 ZMW 60.1

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-11.40%

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

$0.78 ZMW 15.38

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-67.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ZMW 9.72

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-73.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 ZMW 25.73

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-60.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 ZMW 50.3

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-44.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ZMW 37.25

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-2.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 ZMW 24.32

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-18.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.44 ZMW 48.42

$2.21 BGN 3.88

10.41%

Eggs

$1.84 ZMW 36.42

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-58.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.44 ZMW 207

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-9.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.54 ZMW 130

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-25.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.13 ZMW 122

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-63.88%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 ZMW 68.9

$2.17 BGN 3.79

60.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 ZMW 42.42

$2.04 BGN 3.57

4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.51 ZMW 69.5

$1.84 BGN 3.22

90.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.57 ZMW 31.15

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-63.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 ZMW 55.7

$1.03 BGN 1.80

172.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 ZMW 37.77

$0.93 BGN 1.62

104.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 ZMW 22.88

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-4.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ZMW 14.09

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 ZMW 56.3

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-33.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.13 ZMW 201

$7.33 BGN 12.83

38.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 ZMW 27.94

$1.18 BGN 2.06

19.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 ZMW 41.62

$1.87 BGN 3.28

12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ZMW 19.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 ZMW 995

$28.14 BGN 49.24

78.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.57 ZMW 50.9

$1.74 BGN 3.04

47.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 ZMW 33.60

$0.96 BGN 1.68

76.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.94 ZMW 177

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-42.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 ZMW 28.88

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-18.44%

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

$6,225 ZMW 123.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-79.24%

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

$38.8K ZMW 768.5K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

46.98%

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

$89.7 ZMW 1,778

$156 BGN 273

-42.51%

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

$10.95 ZMW 217

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-48.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.9 ZMW 1,169

$15.64 BGN 27.37

276.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 ZMW 998

$46.76 BGN 81.8

7.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.39 ZMW 325

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-40.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.80 ZMW 135

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-32.14%

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

$142 ZMW 2,821

$766 BGN 1,341

-81.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ZMW 333.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

31.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$24.56 ZMW 487

$89.7 BGN 157

-72.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$14.64 ZMW 290

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-64.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 ZMW 1,174

$106 BGN 186

-44.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.9 ZMW 1,505

$105 BGN 183

-27.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$453 ZMW 8,980

$796 BGN 1,393

-43.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 ZMW 3,443

$607 BGN 1,063

-71.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,074 ZMW 21.3K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-31.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 ZMW 14.3K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-32.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,941 ZMW 78.1K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-9.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,414 ZMW 127.2K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

97.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$428 ZMW 8,485

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-75.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.25

2.89

808.30%

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

Last update for Zambia: 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

Zambia

$240 26.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 20% $48

Accommodation & Living

Zambia

$174 19.2%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 250% $434

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zambia

$160 17.7%

Sofia

$193 12% 20.8% $33

Eating Out

Zambia

$123 13.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 108% $133

Clothing & Footwear

Zambia

$78 8.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 95.8% $75

Getting Around

Zambia

$65 7.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 41.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Zambia

$64 7.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 4.5% $2.9

Good to know

🇿🇲 Zambia

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h ahead of Zambia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,610,769

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Zambian Kwacha ZMW ZK

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZMW = 5.04 USD

100 ZMW = 4.5 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇲 Zambian Kwacha (ZK)

Zambian Kwacha exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 19.83 ZMW (100 ZMW = 5.04 USD). 1 EUR = 22.24 ZMW (100 ZMW = 4.5 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 ZMW in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Zambia Sofia 6,480 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Zambia
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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

Zambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zambia and Sofia

BGN, USD, EUR to ZMW – Zambian Kwacha Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Zambia

Sofia

Zambia

Sofia

Zambia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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