Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,739 in Cagliari, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,739

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,739 per month in Cagliari vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Cagliari $1,739
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,723 per month in Cagliari vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Cagliari $2,723
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,708 per month in Cagliari vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Cagliari $3,708
Sofia $3,324

Cagliari costs about 9% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cagliari and Sofia sit above the global median – Cagliari by 30%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.38 €19.97

$17.10 BGN 29.93

30.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.5 €76.3

$66.9 BGN 117

27.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.43 €10.20

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-2.89%

Cappuccino

$2.09 €1.87

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-38.89%

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

$3.24 €2.89

$2.42 BGN 4.23

33.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.59 €4.99

$3.33 BGN 5.83

67.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$4.53 BGN 7.92

0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.51 BGN 2.64

79.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$2.21 BGN 3.88

28.96%

Eggs

$3.63 €3.24

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-17.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.24 €18.96

$11.56 BGN 20.22

83.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.23 €10.92

$8.79 BGN 15.38

39.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.89 €20.43

$16.97 BGN 29.71

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$2.17 BGN 3.79

19.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-12.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$1.84 BGN 3.22

25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.47 €3.10

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-19.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.03 BGN 1.80

80.58%

Onion (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$0.93 BGN 1.62

141.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.20 BGN 2.11

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-38.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.40 €6.60

$4.30 BGN 7.53

72.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.05 €7.18

$7.33 BGN 12.83

9.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.18 BGN 2.06

40.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 €1.58

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-5.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.87 BGN 1.52

66.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.66 €34.50

$28.14 BGN 49.24

37.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.72 €8.67

$1.74 BGN 3.04

458.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.96 BGN 1.68

56.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.00 €27.67

$15.54 BGN 27.19

99.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.79 BGN 3.14

16.20%

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

$36.2K €32.3K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

20.65%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

36.34%

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

$159 €142

$156 BGN 273

1.82%

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

$8.86 €7.91

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.95 €26.73

$15.64 BGN 27.37

91.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 €45.56

$46.76 BGN 81.8

9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.49

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-13.19%

Cinema Ticket

$11.04 €9.85

$10.02 BGN 17.53

10.18%

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

$522 €466

$766 BGN 1,341

-31.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,938 €7,083

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-37.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.6 €85.3

$89.7 BGN 157

6.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.63 €38.04

$40.88 BGN 71.5

4.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.7 €81.8

$106 BGN 186

-13.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 €104

$105 BGN 183

11.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 €768

$796 BGN 1,393

8.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 €554

$607 BGN 1,063

2.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,389 €1,240

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-11.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,013 €904

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-4.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,234 €2,886

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-25.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,373 €2,117

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-27.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,815 €1,620

$1,740 BGN 3,044

4.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

2.89

13.15%

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

Last update for Cagliari: 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

Cagliari

$621 35.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 2.1% $13

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$364 20.6%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 21% $76

Eating Out

Cagliari

$294 16.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 13% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$198 11.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 2.4% $4.8

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$156 8.8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1.6% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$73 4.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 8.7% $6.3

Getting Around

Cagliari

$62 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 38.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Cagliari 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 4% higher in Cagliari, 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 $85.0 in Cagliari versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $364 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

13:03 1:03 PM

1 h ahead of Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

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

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Between locations

Cagliari Sofia 1,250 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
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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

Cagliari vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Cagliari is pricier by about 9%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,608 per month in Cagliari 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.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $522 per month in Cagliari and $766 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 $1,589, than in Cagliari at $1,739. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cagliari 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, Cagliari makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.