Which place is cheaper, Sofia or Cairo?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
Jump to 
Should you visit Cairo or Sofia?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Cairo and Sofia can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.
Where Should I go: Cairo or Sofia?
Cairo
Cairo is the chaotic capital city of Egypt. With a population of more than 16 million, it is one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East. As a traveler, you're likely to arrive and leave from here and you'll get your first orientation to the area during the chaotic and congestion filled taxi ride from the airport.
Sofia
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and also its largest city. Some people have tried to compare it to Budapest, but the cities are actually quite different. In Sofia you will find wonderful European style architecture intertwined with Communist style buildings. It's fascinating to see the two dramatically different building styles immediately next to each other. There are also many Orthodox Churches around town, with their beautiful domes and intricate details.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Egypt, The Best Historical Tours in Egypt, The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Bulgaria, and The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Bulgaria.
-
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayCairo $17Sofia $65
The average daily cost (per person) in Cairo is $17, while the average daily cost in Sofia is $65. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Cairo and Sofia in more detail.
Accommodation
-
Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personCairo $9.27Sofia $41
-
Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomCairo $19Sofia $82
Compare Hotels in Cairo and Sofia
Looking for a hotel in Cairo or Sofia? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Cairo Hotel Prices and Sofia Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
-
Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Cairo $2.96Sofia $8.47
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Cairo
Some typical examples of transportation costs in Cairo are as follows:
-
Metro Ride$0.08
-
Taxi Ride$0.31
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cairo
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Cairo:
- From Private Day Trip to Luxor w/ Transfer & Flights: $659
- 3 Private Full-Day Tours to Cairo Top Attractions+One Airport Transfer: $300
- Cairo - Sharm El Sheikh: One-Way or Return Private Transfer: $290
- Full-Day Private Trip to Fayoum from Cairo, with Transfer: $286
- 2 Days and 2 Evenings Private Tour in Cairo include airport transfer and M&A: $280
- 2 Days Private Guided Tours of Cairo and Giza with Free Cairo Airport Transfers: $280
- From One-Way Private Transfer To Luxor: $275
- 2-Day-One night Camping Tour in The Bahariya Oasis with Private Transfer: $274
- Private Pickup Transfers From Cairo To Dahab: $260
- Cairo : Marvel the Camping in the White & Black Deserts & Cairo Private Transfer: $250
- Private 3 Days in Giza Cairo and Alexandria including Free airport transfers: $250
- Cairo To El Gouna Private Transfer: $248
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sofia
Also for Sofia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport Transfers in Bulgaria: $66
- Bansko Transfer From/to Sofia Airport and Hotels: $263
- Be Eco: Sofia Airport Transfer with an Electric Vehicle: $54
- Departure Transfer: Sofia to Sofia Airport SOF in Luxury Car: $87
- Departure Transfer: Sofia to Sofia Airport SOF in Luxury Van: $76
- From Bansko Transfer with Rila Monastery Visit: $129
- From Koprivshtitsa & Historic Homes Tour w/ Transfer: $54
- From Plovdiv Day Tour with Transfer: $72
- From Private Transfer to Bucharest: $451
- From Private Transfer to Plovdiv: $97
- From Private Transfer to Spa in Sapareva Banya: $91
- From Rila Monastery & Melnik Day Trip with Transfers: $94
Is it cheaper to fly into Cairo or Sofia?
Prices for flights to both Sofia and Cairo change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
-
Food Meals for one dayCairo $4.70Sofia $18
Typical Food Prices in Cairo
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Cairo:
-
Juice$0.04
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cairo
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Cairo.
- Cairo Dinner Cruise With Belly Dancer Show: $10
- Giza Dinner Cruise With Belly Dancer Show: $10
- Cairo Dinner Cruise, Belly Dancer Show With Pickup Service: $11
- Dinner Cruise on the Nile River: $13
- Nile Sunset, Dinner Cruise, Show and Private Transfer: $16
- 2-Hour Nile River Night Dinner Cruise from Cairo: $16
- Super Safari Quad Bike Jeep Safari Buggy and Dinner in Hurghada: $18
- Private Expert tour Giza Pyramids ,Sphinx ,Nile Dinner Cruise & Belly Dancer: $19
- food tour private tour from cairo or giza hotel: $19
- Dinner Cruise Cairo With Belly Dancer Show in The Nile River: $20
- Giza Pyramids, Camel Ride, ATV, shopping Tour and Dinner cruise: $20
- Giza pyramids and Nile dinner cruise private tour from Cairo Giza hotels: $22
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sofia
For Sofia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Market Food Tour: $47
- Half-Day Sofia Evening Walking Tour with Vegetarian Dinner: $49
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Tour with Dinner and Folklore Show: $98
- Sofia by Night: Panoramic City Tour and Folklore Dinner: $107
- Private Sofia Night Tour with Bulgarian Folklore & Dinner: $109
- Guided Night Tour & Folklore Performance with Dinner: $118
- Sofia by Night: Private Tour with Dinner: $118
- Evening City Tour with Folklore Dinner: $118
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Private Tour with Dinner, Folklore Show: $132
Entertainment
-
Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Cairo $5.69Sofia $5.98
Typical Entertainment Prices in Cairo
Here are a few typical costs in Cairo for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
-
Entry to Camel Market for Two$0.84
-
Egyptian Museum Entry for Two$6.43
Tours and Activities in Cairo
Here are a few actual costs in Cairo for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- ( Stopover Tour Of Cairo ) Private All Inc.Pyramids,Camel Ride,Museum& Lunch: $180
- 2 Days 1 Nights Tour package to Saint-Catherine from Cairo : $300
- 2-Day Ancient Egypt Tour with Pyramids and Museums: $219
- 2-Day Private Tour of Cairo with Accommodation and Entrance Fees: $165
- 2-Days Tour at Cairo & Giza: $86
- 2-Days Tours at Cairo & Giza : $143
- 3-Day Cairo Top Attractions Exploration Tour: $180
- 3-Day Private Tour in Cairo : $196
- 3-Days Tour at Cairo (Customized Package): $229
- All Inclusive 2-Day Private Tour to All Pyramids and Cairo and 2 evenings: $299
- All Inclusive Full-Day Tour to Pyramids, Museum, mosque and Felucca: $79
- All Inclusive day tour to Giza pyramids, Egyptian museum and Felucca : $88
Tours and Activities in Sofia
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Sofia.
- Audio Guided Museum Paleontology and Historical Geology Ticket: $3.84
- Rila Monastery: Monastery & Museums Self-Guided Audio Tour 7 lang: $5.48
- Self-Guided Audio Tour on Your Phone (ENG): $7.61
- Self-guided tour of Boyana Church: $7.68
- Sofia Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.73
- Sofia Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self Guided Tour: $7.84
- Self-guided Tour in the Museum of Socialist Art: $7.90
- Guided Walking Tour of Sofia: $11
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Audio Guide for All Sofia Sights, Attractions or Experiences: $12
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $14
- Admission Ticket to the Museum of Illusions in Sofia: $15
Alcohol
-
Alcohol Drinks for one dayCairo $1.16Sofia $8.48
Sample the Local Flavors in Sofia
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Sofia:
- Sofia Pub Crawl - Party Tour of Sofia's Best Bars & Clubs: $16
- Sofia's Hidden Bars: 4-Hour Pub Crawl: $19
- Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars: $20
- Wine Tasting in Heart of Sofia: $33
- Sofia Bar Crawl: $54
- Special Selection Bulgarian Wine Tasting: $59
- Sofia Exquisite Wine Tasting: $76
- 1-Hour Private Cheese and Wine Tasting in Sofia : $87
- Private Sofia Tour with Wine Tasting: $108
- Hisarya, Starosel, and Wine Tasting Tour from Sofia: $115
- Private Cheese and Wine Tasting Experience in Sofia: $120
- Koprivshtitsa and Starosel Day Trip with Wine Tasting: $140
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Cairo and Sofia, we can see that Sofia is more expensive. And not only is Cairo much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Cairo is in Africa and Sofia is in Europe, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Cairo would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Cairo and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Sofia would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Sofia than you might in Cairo.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Cairo Expensive? and Is Sofia Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Cairo or Sofia?
Cairo has a larger population, and is about 7 times larger than the population of Sofia. When comparing the sizes of Cairo and Sofia, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.