Cost of living comparison
compared to
Addis Ababa vs. Sofia Cost of Living Summary
Addis Ababa is 28.9% more expensive than Sofia.
- Restaurants
-
pay 54.4% less in Addis Ababa
- Groceries
-
pay 16.9% more in Addis Ababa
- Transportation
-
pay 15.0% less in Addis Ababa
- Housing
-
pay 3.0 times more in Addis Ababa
- Childcare
-
pay 69.2% more in Addis Ababa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 24.0% less in Addis Ababa
- Clothing
-
pay 12.9% more in Addis Ababa
The cost of housing, childcare, groceries, and clothing in Addis Ababa are more expensive than in Sofia. Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, and transportation are lower in Addis Ababa. Notably, housing is significantly more expensive in Addis Ababa.
Addis Ababa vs. Sofia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Addis Ababa instead of Sofia, you would:
pay 54.4% less for restaurants
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.94
BGN20.12
|
$4.26
ETB655.54
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.40
BGN15.85
|
$6.50
ETB1,000.24
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.69
BGN2.86
|
$0.61
ETB93.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.35
BGN2.28
|
$0.57
ETB87.20
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of restaurants
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pay 16.9% more for groceries
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.27
BGN2.14
|
$1.26
ETB193.73
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.03
BGN10.16
|
$4.34
ETB667.36
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.17
BGN12.09
|
$5.42
ETB834.53
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
BGN6.56
|
$2.28
ETB351.02
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.74
BGN6.30
|
$5.76
ETB886.79
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.86
BGN1.45
|
$3.08
ETB473.48
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
BGN1.49
|
$0.43
ETB66.40
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.87
BGN1.46
|
$1.06
ETB162.78
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
BGN2.12
|
$0.40
ETB62.30
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
BGN0.85
|
$0.28
ETB42.45
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.43
BGN0.73
|
$0.91
ETB139.43
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of groceries
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pay 15.0% less for transportation
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.82
BGN9.81
|
$4.81
ETB740.52
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$29.84
BGN50.31
|
$12.00
ETB1,846.60
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,917.07
BGN52,118.45
|
$55,000.00
ETB8,463,587.61
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.19
BGN15.49
|
$3.62
ETB556.29
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of transportation
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pay 3.0 times more for housing
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$14.81
BGN24.97
|
$130.20
ETB20,035.62
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$730.45
BGN1,231.35
|
$815.99
ETB125,568.08
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$549.13
BGN925.69
|
$512.43
ETB78,854.26
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$120.21
BGN202.65
|
$121.97
ETB18,769.25
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of housing
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pay 69.2% more for childcare
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$641.00
BGN1,080.57
|
$94.05
ETB14,472.47
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$9,323.50
BGN15,717.08
|
$30,187.50
ETB4,645,355.47
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of childcare
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pay 24.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.98
BGN5.03
|
$0.90
ETB138.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.61
BGN4.41
|
$1.09
ETB167.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.88
BGN6.54
|
$5.10
ETB784.81
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$44.47
BGN74.96
|
$62.10
ETB9,556.74
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$10.15
BGN17.10
|
$3.75
ETB577.06
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 12.9% more for clothing
|
Sofia
|
Addis Ababa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$71.40
BGN120.37
|
$45.03
ETB6,929.81
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.83
BGN62.09
|
$75.17
ETB11,566.90
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$109.77
BGN185.05
|
$94.08
ETB14,477.62
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$116.74
BGN196.79
|
$115.09
ETB17,709.97
|
|
Sofia vs. Addis Ababa - Cost of clothing
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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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