Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Amsterdam and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,504 in Amsterdam, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

169

Cost of Living Index in Amsterdam
Learn more

Amsterdam Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Amsterdam

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,504

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,504 per month in Amsterdam vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Amsterdam $3,504
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $5,010 per month in Amsterdam vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Amsterdam $5,010
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $6,516 per month in Amsterdam vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Amsterdam $6,516
Sofia $3,324

Amsterdam costs about 120% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Amsterdam and Sofia sit above the global median – Amsterdam by 161%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.96

$17.10 BGN 29.93

30.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €81.2

$66.9 BGN 117

35.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.36 €13.71

$11.77 BGN 20.59

30.50%

Cappuccino

$4.60 €4.11

$3.42 BGN 5.99

34.50%

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

$3.74 €3.33

$2.42 BGN 4.23

54.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 €2.70

$1.86 BGN 3.26

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.62

$3.33 BGN 5.83

122.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.68 €5.07

$4.53 BGN 7.92

25.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-20.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.13

$1.51 BGN 2.64

57.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$2.21 BGN 3.88

14.93%

Eggs

$5.24 €4.68

$4.40 BGN 7.69

19.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.95 €15.13

$11.56 BGN 20.22

46.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.41 €11.97

$8.79 BGN 15.38

52.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.00 €20.53

$16.97 BGN 29.71

35.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 €2.45

$2.17 BGN 3.79

26.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$2.04 BGN 3.57

38.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$1.84 BGN 3.22

42.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.87 €3.45

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-9.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.03 BGN 1.80

132.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$0.93 BGN 1.62

83.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.20 BGN 2.11

19.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.92 BGN 1.62

93.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.48 €12.92

$4.30 BGN 7.53

236.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 €8.22

$7.33 BGN 12.83

25.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.18 BGN 2.06

50.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$1.87 BGN 3.28

35.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.72 €3.32

$0.87 BGN 1.52

327.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$116 €104

$28.14 BGN 49.24

313.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 €4.19

$1.74 BGN 3.04

170.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 €3.04

$0.96 BGN 1.68

254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.57

$15.54 BGN 27.19

149.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.79 BGN 3.14

45.81%

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

$41.7K €37.2K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

38.99%

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

$38.2K €34.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

44.71%

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

$298 €266

$156 BGN 273

90.98%

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

$22.98 €20.51

$21.21 BGN 37.11

8.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.26

$15.64 BGN 27.37

238.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.4 €53.9

$46.76 BGN 81.8

29.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.40 €31.59

$27.74 BGN 48.54

27.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.86 €15.05

$10.02 BGN 17.53

68.26%

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

$2,764 €2,466

$766 BGN 1,341

260.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

33.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.2

$89.7 BGN 157

3.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.20 €36.77

$40.88 BGN 71.5

0.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 €89.3

$106 BGN 186

-5.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$105 BGN 183

27.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,605 €2,325

$796 BGN 1,393

227.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 €1,720

$607 BGN 1,063

217.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,903 €3,483

$1,563 BGN 2,735

149.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,115 €2,780

$1,060 BGN 1,855

193.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.3K €9,201

$4,357 BGN 7,626

136.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,540 €5,836

$3,250 BGN 5,688

101.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,524 €4,038

$1,740 BGN 3,044

160.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

2.89

13.15%

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

Last update for Amsterdam: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Amsterdam

$1.9K 55.8%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 68.5% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Amsterdam

$388 11.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 25.9% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Amsterdam

$374 10.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 48.4% $181

Eating Out

Amsterdam

$356 10.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 28% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Amsterdam

$165 4.8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 7.1% $12

Getting Around

Amsterdam

$153 4.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 75% $115

Sport & Entertainment

Amsterdam

$94 2.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 29% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,605 in Amsterdam versus $796 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 run about 160% higher in Amsterdam, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Amsterdam versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $388 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Amsterdam

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h ahead of Amsterdam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,933 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Amsterdam Sofia 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Amsterdam
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

Amsterdam vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Amsterdam is pricier by about 120%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,255 per month in Amsterdam and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 313% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,764 per month in Amsterdam and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Amsterdam at $3,504. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Amsterdam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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