Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Best and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,217 in Best, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,217 per month in Best vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Best $2,217
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $3,095 per month in Best vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Best $3,095
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,973 per month in Best vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Best $3,973
Sofia $3,324

Best costs about 40% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Best and Sofia sit above the global median – Best by 65%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.31 €19.91

$17.10 BGN 29.93

30.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.5 €77.2

$66.9 BGN 117

29.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.94

$11.77 BGN 20.59

4.08%

Cappuccino

$3.65 €3.26

$3.42 BGN 5.99

6.73%

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

$3.26 €2.91

$2.42 BGN 4.23

34.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.86 BGN 3.26

33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.77 €5.15

$3.33 BGN 5.83

73.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.90 €4.37

$4.53 BGN 7.92

8.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.51 BGN 2.64

25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 €1.98

$2.21 BGN 3.88

0.45%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-29.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.28 €10.07

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-2.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 €10.26

$8.79 BGN 15.38

30.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 €13.24

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-12.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-7.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-21.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-5.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.95 €4.41

$4.29 BGN 7.51

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.03 BGN 1.80

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.93 BGN 1.62

27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.11 €0.99

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-7.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 €0.63

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-22.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.21 €10.01

$4.30 BGN 7.53

160.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.18 BGN 2.06

27.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.87 BGN 3.28

33.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.48 €2.22

$0.87 BGN 1.52

185.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.3

$28.14 BGN 49.24

151.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 €3.52

$1.74 BGN 3.04

126.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.96 BGN 1.68

201.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.72 €26.52

$15.54 BGN 27.19

91.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.79 BGN 3.14

31.28%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-14.48%

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

$34.0K €30.3K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

28.87%

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

$185 €165

$156 BGN 273

18.68%

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

$14.56 €12.99

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-31.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.61 €33.56

$15.64 BGN 27.37

140.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.32 €35.98

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-13.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.33 €22.60

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-8.69%

Cinema Ticket

$13.97 €12.47

$10.02 BGN 17.53

39.42%

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

$1,298 €1,158

$766 BGN 1,341

69.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,115 €4,564

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-60.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 €46.13

$89.7 BGN 157

-42.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.89 €29.35

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-19.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 €66.5

$106 BGN 186

-29.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 €51.7

$105 BGN 183

-44.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,544 €1,378

$796 BGN 1,393

93.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,100 €982

$607 BGN 1,063

81.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,763

$1,563 BGN 2,735

26.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,352 €1,206

$1,060 BGN 1,855

27.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,221 €4,659

$4,357 BGN 7,626

19.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,354 €3,886

$3,250 BGN 5,688

33.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,077 €3,639

$1,740 BGN 3,044

134.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

2.89

22.49%

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

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Best

$1.1K 49.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 44.8% $493

Eating Out

Best

$321 14.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 20.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Best

$281 12.8%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 2.2% $6.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Best

$237 10.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 18.7% $44

Getting Around

Best

$99 4.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 61.5% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Best

$98 4.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 57.3% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Best

$68 3.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 2.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,544 in Best 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 134% higher in Best, 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 $86.0 in Best versus $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $281 in Best vs $287 in Sofia – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Best

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:34 2:34 PM

15:34 3:34 PM

1 h ahead of Best

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,988

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Best Sofia 1,670 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Best
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

Best vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Best is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,325 per month in Best 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,217 in Best and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 40%.

Public transport costs about 152% 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 Best at $2,217. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Best 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, Best makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.