Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
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Biel Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Biel $2,826
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Biel $4,452
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Biel $6,078
Sofia $3,361

Biel costs about 77% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Biel and Sofia sit above the global median – Biel by 109%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$16.87 BGN 29.35

78.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 CHF 88.9

$65.8 BGN 115

64.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$11.32 BGN 19.69

61.48%

Cappuccino

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$3.43 BGN 5.98

76.97%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.26

$2.41 BGN 4.19

114.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$1.85 BGN 3.22

123.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 CHF 6.40

$3.70 BGN 6.44

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$4.58 BGN 7.97

7.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$2.02 BGN 3.51

3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$1.56 BGN 2.72

142.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$2.33 BGN 4.05

41.63%

Eggs

$7.19 CHF 5.92

$4.36 BGN 7.59

64.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 CHF 18.06

$11.76 BGN 20.47

86.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.12 CHF 22.34

$8.83 BGN 15.37

207.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.83 CHF 31.98

$17.46 BGN 30.38

122.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$2.15 BGN 3.74

42.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.98 BGN 3.44

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.02

$1.93 BGN 3.37

27.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-26.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CHF 1.21

$1.04 BGN 1.80

41.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.49

$0.85 BGN 1.48

112.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.15 BGN 2.00

77.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CHF 0.87

$0.89 BGN 1.56

17.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.05

$4.21 BGN 7.33

161.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 CHF 12.28

$7.46 BGN 12.98

99.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CHF 0.76

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-20.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-4.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$0.87 BGN 1.51

464.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 CHF 76.9

$28.53 BGN 49.65

227.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 CHF 6.46

$1.68 BGN 2.93

366.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$0.94 BGN 1.63

381.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 CHF 68.4

$15.35 BGN 26.70

440.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$1.69 BGN 2.94

31.36%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

40.00%

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

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

33.28%

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

$137 CHF 113

$156 BGN 272

-11.95%

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

$35.74 CHF 29.43

$21.56 BGN 37.52

65.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CHF 41.30

$15.24 BGN 26.51

229.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$46.08 BGN 80.2

67.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.05

$10.18 BGN 17.72

115.32%

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

$2,620 CHF 2,158

$774 BGN 1,347

238.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

190.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 CHF 89.2

$89.9 BGN 157

20.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 CHF 33.56

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-1.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 CHF 112

$105 BGN 183

29.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$107 BGN 186

105.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,022

$783 BGN 1,362

58.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CHF 922

$597 BGN 1,038

87.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 CHF 1,874

$1,516 BGN 2,638

50.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CHF 1,676

$1,030 BGN 1,792

97.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,683 CHF 7,975

$4,350 BGN 7,568

122.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,818 CHF 6,439

$3,177 BGN 5,528

146.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,516 CHF 4,543

$1,735 BGN 3,019

217.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.68

2.89

-41.87%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biel

$1.1K 39.6%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 46.7% $523

Groceries & Markets

Biel

$538 19%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 46% $248

Eating Out

Biel

$454 16.1%

Sofia

$255 16% 43.9% $199

Clothing & Footwear

Biel

$227 8%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 31.9% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biel

$223 7.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 13.6% $30

Getting Around

Biel

$143 5.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 73.2% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Biel

$121 4.3%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 45.1% $55

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel versus $783 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 218% higher in Biel, 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 $108 in Biel versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biel

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:22 6:22 AM

07:22 7:22 AM

1 h ahead of Biel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,378

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Biel Sofia 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Biel
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

Biel vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Biel is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,240 per month in Biel and $2,391 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 227% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $2,620 per month in Biel and $774 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 $1,594, than in Biel at $2,826. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Biel 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, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.