Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergamo and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Bergamo and in Sofia: $1,592 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Bergamo
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Bergamo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Bergamo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,592

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Bergamo versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Bergamo $1,592
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,451 in Bergamo versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Bergamo $2,451
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,311 in Bergamo versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Bergamo $3,311
Sofia $3,324

Monthly costs are close between Bergamo and Sofia; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bergamo 19% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.68 €13.99

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-8.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.6 €73.8

$66.9 BGN 117

23.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.89

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-5.86%

Cappuccino

$1.87 €1.67

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-45.32%

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

$3.31 €2.95

$2.42 BGN 4.23

36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.97

$3.33 BGN 5.83

67.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 €4.97

$4.53 BGN 7.92

22.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 €1.27

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-26.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.51 BGN 2.64

33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 €2.70

$2.21 BGN 3.88

36.65%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.31

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-15.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.27 €13.63

$11.56 BGN 20.22

32.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 €10.16

$8.79 BGN 15.38

29.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.13 €14.39

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-4.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.05

$2.17 BGN 3.79

5.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-16.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.84 BGN 3.22

22.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.38

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-38.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.03 BGN 1.80

75.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$0.93 BGN 1.62

135.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.20 BGN 2.11

55.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.48 €0.43

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-47.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.11 €6.35

$4.30 BGN 7.53

65.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.17 €3.72

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-43.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.18 BGN 2.06

5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-5.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.87 BGN 1.52

116.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.25 €40.38

$28.14 BGN 49.24

60.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 €9.11

$1.74 BGN 3.04

486.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.96 BGN 1.68

131.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.74 €34.57

$15.54 BGN 27.19

149.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.79 BGN 3.14

16.76%

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

$36.8K €32.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

22.68%

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

$35.0K €31.3K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

32.86%

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

$195 €174

$156 BGN 273

25.24%

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

$8.87 €7.92

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-58.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.82 €24.82

$15.64 BGN 27.37

77.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.67 €29.15

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.37 €20.86

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-15.75%

Cinema Ticket

$11.26 €10.05

$10.02 BGN 17.53

12.38%

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

$569 €507

$766 BGN 1,341

-25.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.0K €12.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

9.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.1 €66.1

$89.7 BGN 157

-17.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 €29.06

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-20.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €78.5

$106 BGN 186

-17.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.0

$105 BGN 183

-1.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 €670

$796 BGN 1,393

-5.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 €511

$607 BGN 1,063

-5.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,370 €1,222

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-12.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$904 €807

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-14.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,471 €3,097

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-20.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,509 €2,239

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-22.80%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,165

$1,740 BGN 3,044

39.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

2.89

5.54%

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

Last update for Bergamo: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergamo

$573 35.7%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 6% $35

Groceries & Markets

Bergamo

$298 18.6%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 3.5% $10

Eating Out

Bergamo

$239 14.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 7.3% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergamo

$232 14.5%

Sofia

$193 12% 16.9% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Bergamo

$134 8.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 14.7% $20

Getting Around

Bergamo

$74 4.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 48.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bergamo

$55 3.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 21% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $751 in Bergamo and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergamo pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83.0 in Bergamo vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Bergamo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h ahead of Bergamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,569

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

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Between locations

Bergamo Sofia 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Bergamo
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

Bergamo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 39% higher in Bergamo, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $751 in Bergamo versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 61% less than in Bergamo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Bergamo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,592 in Bergamo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Bergamo. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bergamo and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Sofia wins on affordability, Bergamo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.