Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brugge and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,161 in Brugge, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Brugge
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Brugge Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Brugge

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,161

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,161 per month in Brugge vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Brugge $2,161
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $3,114 per month in Brugge vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Brugge $3,114
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $4,067 per month in Brugge vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Brugge $4,067
Sofia $3,324

Brugge costs about 36% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Brugge and Sofia sit above the global median – Brugge by 61%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.81 €20.36

$17.10 BGN 29.93

33.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.7 €71.1

$66.9 BGN 117

19.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.28 €10.06

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-4.16%

Cappuccino

$4.43 €3.95

$3.42 BGN 5.99

29.53%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$2.42 BGN 4.23

21.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.86 BGN 3.26

57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.85

$3.33 BGN 5.83

63.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.10

$4.53 BGN 7.92

1.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-36.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.51 BGN 2.64

24.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-8.60%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.39

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-13.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.45 €10.22

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-0.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.85

$8.79 BGN 15.38

38.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.33 €17.25

$16.97 BGN 29.71

13.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.17 BGN 3.79

23.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.90

$2.04 BGN 3.57

3.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.84 BGN 3.22

19.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-47.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.03 BGN 1.80

120.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 €0.87

$0.93 BGN 1.62

5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.20 BGN 2.11

27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.92 BGN 1.62

3.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$4.30 BGN 7.53

202.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.57

$7.33 BGN 12.83

0.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.87 BGN 3.28

6.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 €2.89

$0.87 BGN 1.52

271.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.0 €49.99

$28.14 BGN 49.24

99.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 €2.99

$1.74 BGN 3.04

92.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.53 €2.26

$0.96 BGN 1.68

163.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.12 €22.42

$15.54 BGN 27.19

61.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.76

$1.79 BGN 3.14

10.06%

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

$34.9K €31.2K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

16.45%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

30.07%

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

$214 €191

$156 BGN 273

37.46%

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

$18.04 €16.10

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-14.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 €47.30

$15.64 BGN 27.37

238.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 €37.54

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-10.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.66 €12.19

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-50.76%

Cinema Ticket

$14.87 €13.27

$10.02 BGN 17.53

48.40%

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

$606 €541

$766 BGN 1,341

-20.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,952 €4,419

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-61.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.0

$89.7 BGN 157

16.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.8 €53.4

$40.88 BGN 71.5

46.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$106 BGN 186

-15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 €227

$105 BGN 183

142.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$939 €838

$796 BGN 1,393

17.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$831 €741

$607 BGN 1,063

36.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,181

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 €1,061

$1,060 BGN 1,855

12.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,666 €2,379

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-38.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,502 €2,233

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-23.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,551 €2,276

$1,740 BGN 3,044

46.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

2.89

21.80%

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

Last update for Brugge: 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

Brugge

$831 38.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 26.9% $223

Eating Out

Brugge

$329 15.4%

Sofia

$256 16% 22.3% $73

Groceries & Markets

Brugge

$304 14.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 5.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brugge

$285 13.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 32.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Brugge

$228 10.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 32.7% $75

Getting Around

Brugge

$85 4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 55.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Brugge

$72 3.4%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $939 in Brugge 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 47% higher in Brugge, 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 $80.0 in Brugge versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $304 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brugge

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h ahead of Brugge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,639

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

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Between locations

Brugge Sofia 1,790 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Brugge
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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

Brugge vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Brugge is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,242 per month in Brugge 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 $2,161 in Brugge and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 99% 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 Brugge at $2,161. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brugge 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, Brugge makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.