Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zanzibar and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Zanzibar: $582 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Zanzibar
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Zanzibar Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Zanzibar

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$582

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $582 per month in Zanzibar vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Zanzibar $582
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $866 per month in Zanzibar vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Zanzibar $866
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,150 per month in Zanzibar vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Zanzibar $1,150
Sofia $3,387

Zanzibar is about 63% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zanzibar sits 57% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.65 TZS 12.2K

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-71.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.37 TZS 56.2K

$67.7 BGN 118

-68.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.81 TZS 15.3K

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-50.26%

Cappuccino

$2.23 TZS 5,870

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-34.60%

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

$0.62 TZS 1,639

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-73.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 TZS 873

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-80.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 TZS 4,857

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-53.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 TZS 7,074

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-40.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 TZS 5,333

$1.94 BGN 3.38

4.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.77 TZS 2,021

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-50.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.79 TZS 2,069

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-66.38%

Eggs

$2.79 TZS 7,347

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-39.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 TZS 19.7K

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-34.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.30 TZS 6,054

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-73.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.22 TZS 16.4K

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-64.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 TZS 7,312

$2.15 BGN 3.73

29.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 TZS 3,059

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-41.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 TZS 1,962

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-59.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 TZS 1,546

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-86.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 TZS 2,471

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-9.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 TZS 3,870

$0.89 BGN 1.54

65.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 TZS 1,921

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-38.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 TZS 1,175

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-45.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 TZS 5,692

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 TZS 24.7K

$7.42 BGN 12.91

26.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 TZS 4,021

$1.16 BGN 2.01

31.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 TZS 3,428

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-31.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 TZS 824

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-66.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.80 TZS 9,992

$1.67 BGN 2.90

127.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.74 TZS 1,941

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-12.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.70 TZS 7,108

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-83.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 TZS 3,330

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-27.01%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$50.3K TZS 132.4M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

101.27%

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

$73.0 TZS 191.8K

$158 BGN 275

-53.79%

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

$11.14 TZS 29.3K

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-47.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.10 TZS 129.1K

$15.12 BGN 26.30

224.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.01 TZS 76.3K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-38.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.66 TZS 25.4K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-3.40%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.86 TZS 33.8K

$87.1 BGN 152

-85.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.32 TZS 45.5K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-54.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.28 TZS 40.2K

$106 BGN 184

-85.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$13.18 TZS 34.6K

$107 BGN 187

-87.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$151 TZS 397.1K

$769 BGN 1,338

-80.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 TZS 265.0K

$593 BGN 1,032

-83.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$197 TZS 518.0K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-87.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$147 TZS 387.1K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-86.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$38.2K TZS 100.4M

$4,526 BGN 7,875

743.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.3K TZS 29.6M

$3,109 BGN 5,410

262.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$314 TZS 824.4K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-82.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

246.02%

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

Last update for Zanzibar: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Zanzibar

$165 28.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 74.6% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zanzibar

$133 22.9%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 45.8% $61

Accommodation & Living

Zanzibar

$101 17.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 488% $492

Eating Out

Zanzibar

$100 17.2%

Sofia

$254 16% 154% $154

Sport & Entertainment

Zanzibar

$48 8.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 38.3% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Zanzibar

$26 4.5%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 477% $126

Getting Around

Zanzibar

$8.8 * 1.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 331% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $151 in Zanzibar 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.

Salaries in Sofia are about 5.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Zanzibar versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $165 vs $288 – making Zanzibar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Zanzibar

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:50 3:50 AM

02:50 2:50 AM

1 h behind Zanzibar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

709,809

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2,629 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.8 USD). 1 EUR = 2,951 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TZS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zanzibar Sofia 5,670 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Zanzibar
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

Zanzibar vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $582 in Zanzibar, $1,585 in Sofia – Zanzibar comes out roughly 63% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $873 per month in Zanzibar 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 Zanzibar, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $151 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Zanzibar and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $582 in Zanzibar and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Zanzibar about 63% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Zanzibar, where all-in costs run around $582, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Zanzibar 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 $582 in Zanzibar to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Zanzibar. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.