Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bilbao and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,101 in Bilbao, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Bilbao
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Bilbao Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Bilbao

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,101

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,101 in Bilbao versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Bilbao $2,101
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,137 in Bilbao versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Bilbao $3,137
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,172 in Bilbao versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Bilbao $4,172
Sofia $3,324

Living in Bilbao is roughly 32% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Bilbao 57% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.91 €18.66

$17.10 BGN 29.93

22.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.0 €61.6

$66.9 BGN 117

3.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.14 €10.83

$11.77 BGN 20.59

3.14%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.23

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-26.90%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$2.42 BGN 4.23

20.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-6.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$3.33 BGN 5.83

2.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 €2.92

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-27.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-32.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.51 BGN 2.64

4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.35

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-31.67%

Eggs

$3.32 €2.96

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-24.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.39 €12.85

$11.56 BGN 20.22

24.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.05 €7.18

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-8.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.25 €11.82

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-21.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$2.17 BGN 3.79

25.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-0.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.33

$1.84 BGN 3.22

41.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-44.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.03 BGN 1.80

47.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$0.93 BGN 1.62

159.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.20 BGN 2.11

0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.70

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-15.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.83 €6.09

$4.30 BGN 7.53

58.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$7.33 BGN 12.83

6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.18 BGN 2.06

25.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.34

$1.87 BGN 3.28

40.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 €1.63

$0.87 BGN 1.52

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.7 €45.25

$28.14 BGN 49.24

80.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.02

$1.74 BGN 3.04

223.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 €0.88

$0.96 BGN 1.68

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.89 €28.46

$15.54 BGN 27.19

105.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.79 BGN 3.14

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

$35.0K €31.2K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

16.78%

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

$30.4K €27.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

15.22%

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

$142 €127

$156 BGN 273

-8.71%

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

$20.34 €18.15

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-4.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$15.64 BGN 27.37

92.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 €49.81

$46.76 BGN 81.8

19.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.27 €13.62

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-44.95%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 €8.86

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-1.00%

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

$538 €480

$766 BGN 1,341

-29.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-9.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.5 €79.9

$89.7 BGN 157

-0.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.39 €30.69

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-15.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 €61.3

$106 BGN 186

-35.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €114

$105 BGN 183

21.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,261 €1,125

$796 BGN 1,393

58.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €941

$607 BGN 1,063

73.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,469 €2,203

$1,563 BGN 2,735

57.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,707 €1,523

$1,060 BGN 1,855

61.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,875 €5,243

$4,357 BGN 7,626

34.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,675 €3,280

$3,250 BGN 5,688

13.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,385 €2,128

$1,740 BGN 3,044

37.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.98

2.89

3.11%

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

Last update for Bilbao: 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

Bilbao

$1.1K 50.6%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 42.4% $447

Eating Out

Bilbao

$276 13.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 7.1% $20

Groceries & Markets

Bilbao

$271 13%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bilbao

$193 9.3%

Sofia

$193 12% 0% $0

Clothing & Footwear

Bilbao

$144 6.9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 6.7% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bilbao

$76 3.6%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 11.7% $8.9

Getting Around

Bilbao

$69 3.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 44.4% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,261 in Bilbao and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bilbao pays 37% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $69.0 in Bilbao vs $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $271 vs $287, with Bilbao cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Bilbao

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Bilbao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

346,096

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

Bilbao Sofia 2,130 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bilbao
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

Bilbao vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bilbao and Sofia differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($2,101 vs $1,589 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% higher in Bilbao, 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: $1,261 in Bilbao versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $538 in Bilbao versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Bilbao pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,101 in Bilbao, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Bilbao. 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, Bilbao 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.

Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Bilbao. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.