Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in the Azores and in Sofia: $1,594 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in the Azores vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Azores $1,594
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in the Azores vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Azores $2,371
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,148 per month in the Azores vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Azores $3,148
Sofia $3,324

Azores and Sofia have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.15

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-33.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.10 €42.03

$66.9 BGN 117

-29.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 €8.21

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-21.84%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-36.84%

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

$1.92 €1.71

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-20.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-26.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.02

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-32.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.09

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-23.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.51 BGN 2.64

5.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-27.15%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-29.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.05

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-2.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 €7.04

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-10.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 €12.77

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-15.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.17 BGN 3.79

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-30.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.84 BGN 3.22

0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-42.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.03 BGN 1.80

48.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.93 BGN 1.62

96.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.20 BGN 2.11

35.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-14.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.55

$4.30 BGN 7.53

44.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 €4.55

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-30.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.18 BGN 2.06

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.87 BGN 3.28

26.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.87 BGN 1.52

162.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.69 €37.20

$28.14 BGN 49.24

48.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.65

$1.74 BGN 3.04

135.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-14.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.19

$15.54 BGN 27.19

9.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.79 BGN 3.14

11.17%

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

$34.5K €30.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

15.21%

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

$40.1K €35.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

51.91%

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

$135 €120

$156 BGN 273

-13.72%

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

$21.16 €18.89

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-0.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.52 €37.94

$15.64 BGN 27.37

171.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 €40.00

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-4.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 €15.46

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-37.53%

Cinema Ticket

$8.36 €7.46

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-16.57%

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

$462 €412

$766 BGN 1,341

-39.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,431 €7,524

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-34.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 €65.3

$89.7 BGN 157

-18.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 €33.99

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-6.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 €82.1

$106 BGN 186

-13.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 €83.6

$105 BGN 183

-10.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €819

$796 BGN 1,393

15.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €664

$607 BGN 1,063

22.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 €1,337

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-4.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,020

$1,060 BGN 1,855

7.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 €2,693

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-30.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 €2,059

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-29.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

2.89

73.36%

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

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Azores

$744 46%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 18.4% $137

Groceries & Markets

Azores

$247 15.3%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 16.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azores

$198 12.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 2.7% $5.4

Eating Out

Azores

$176 10.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 45.6% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Azores

$134 8.3%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 14.9% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Azores

$62 3.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 8.5% $5.3

Getting Around

Azores

$59 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 35.3% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in the Azores 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $247 vs $287 – making Azores the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Azores

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:03 10:03 AM

13:03 1:03 PM

3 h ahead of the Azores

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,657

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 = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Azores Sofia 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Azores
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

Azores vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in the Azores 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in the Azores at $1,594. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores 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, Azores makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.