Cost of living comparison
Sofia is 29.5% more expensive than Bulgaria overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 23.9% more in Sofia
- Groceries
-
pay 11.6% more in Sofia
- Transportation
-
pay 9.8% more in Sofia
- Housing
-
pay 58.2% more in Sofia
- Childcare
-
pay 41.2% more in Sofia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 27.1% more in Sofia
- Clothing
-
pay 34.5% more in Sofia
The cost of housing, childcare, clothing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and groceries in Sofia are more expensive than in Bulgaria.
If you lived in Sofia instead of Bulgaria, you would:
pay 23.9% more for restaurants
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.86
BGN16.01
|
$10.96
BGN19.81
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$7.63
BGN13.78
|
$8.22
BGN14.86
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.19
BGN2.15
|
$1.48
BGN2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
BGN1.33
|
$1.03
BGN1.86
|
|
pay 11.6% more for groceries
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.88
BGN1.59
|
$1.12
BGN2.03
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.65
BGN8.40
|
$5.28
BGN9.54
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.10
BGN11.02
|
$6.60
BGN11.93
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.94
BGN5.32
|
$3.55
BGN6.41
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.15
BGN5.69
|
$3.50
BGN6.32
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
BGN1.23
|
$0.80
BGN1.45
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.84
BGN1.52
|
$0.85
BGN1.54
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.73
BGN1.31
|
$0.81
BGN1.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.97
BGN1.76
|
$1.11
BGN2.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.47
BGN0.86
|
$0.51
BGN0.92
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.49
BGN0.89
|
$0.47
BGN0.85
|
|
pay 9.8% more for transportation
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.44
BGN9.83
|
$5.66
BGN10.23
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$22.97
BGN41.51
|
$27.40
BGN49.53
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,917.67
BGN54,080.97
|
$29,952.87
BGN54,144.61
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.49
BGN11.74
|
$7.51
BGN13.57
|
|
pay 58.2% more for housing
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$12.17
BGN21.99
|
$13.48
BGN24.37
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$301.56
BGN545.12
|
$570.94
BGN1,032.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$232.85
BGN420.91
|
$430.23
BGN777.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$77.06
BGN139.30
|
$114.12
BGN206.30
|
|
pay 41.2% more for childcare
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$365.01
BGN659.81
|
$554.43
BGN1,002.22
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,166.80
BGN9,339.83
|
$6,747.31
BGN12,196.85
|
|
pay 27.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.83
BGN3.30
|
$2.74
BGN4.95
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.76
BGN3.17
|
$2.26
BGN4.09
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.23
BGN5.84
|
$3.34
BGN6.04
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$28.54
BGN51.59
|
$37.04
BGN66.96
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.67
BGN12.05
|
$8.22
BGN14.86
|
|
pay 34.5% more for clothing
|
Bulgaria
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$44.59
BGN80.60
|
$70.63
BGN127.68
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$28.98
BGN52.38
|
$33.57
BGN60.68
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.86
BGN137.13
|
$99.28
BGN179.46
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$76.78
BGN138.79
|
$102.16
BGN184.67
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Sofia or Bulgaria. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.