Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cham and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $3,527 in Cham, rent and utilities included – about $23,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

171

Cost of Living Index in Cham
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Cham Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Cham

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,527

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,527 in Cham versus $1,600 in Sofia.

Cham $3,527
Sofia $1,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,432 in Cham versus $2,490 in Sofia.

Cham $5,432
Sofia $2,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,337 in Cham versus $3,380 in Sofia.

Cham $7,337
Sofia $3,380

Living in Cham is roughly 120% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cham 160% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.40 CHF 25.04

$16.96 BGN 29.51

79.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$68.3 BGN 119

79.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.19 CHF 14.98

$11.62 BGN 20.21

56.54%

Cappuccino

$6.17 CHF 5.09

$3.43 BGN 5.98

79.88%

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

$5.52 CHF 4.55

$2.34 BGN 4.08

135.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$1.83 BGN 3.19

162.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.62 CHF 7.10

$3.41 BGN 5.93

152.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.60 CHF 5.44

$4.44 BGN 7.73

48.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 CHF 1.76

$1.97 BGN 3.42

8.63%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 CHF 3.13

$1.49 BGN 2.59

155.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.86 CHF 3.18

$2.33 BGN 4.05

65.67%

Eggs

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$4.41 BGN 7.68

64.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.70 CHF 21.99

$11.54 BGN 20.08

131.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.37 CHF 23.37

$8.88 BGN 15.44

219.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.48 CHF 34.98

$17.51 BGN 30.46

142.60%

Apples (1kg)

$4.22 CHF 3.48

$2.15 BGN 3.74

96.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.07 BGN 3.60

2.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 CHF 2.70

$1.93 BGN 3.37

69.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$4.25 BGN 7.39

8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 CHF 1.99

$1.03 BGN 1.79

134.95%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$0.88 BGN 1.54

145.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.46 CHF 2.03

$1.19 BGN 2.07

106.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 CHF 0.95

$0.89 BGN 1.55

30.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.98 CHF 9.05

$4.23 BGN 7.35

159.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.73 CHF 10.48

$7.87 BGN 13.69

61.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 CHF 2.29

$1.18 BGN 2.06

135.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 CHF 2.59

$1.89 BGN 3.29

66.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$0.93 BGN 1.62

432.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$149 CHF 122

$28.30 BGN 49.24

425.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.29 CHF 4.36

$1.68 BGN 2.93

214.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.40 CHF 2.80

$0.96 BGN 1.68

254.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.7 CHF 50.8

$15.36 BGN 26.73

301.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$1.77 BGN 3.09

31.07%

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

$39.0K CHF 32.1K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

28.00%

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

$39.1K CHF 32.2K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

55.74%

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

$279 CHF 230

$157 BGN 273

77.61%

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

$30.94 CHF 25.48

$21.12 BGN 36.74

46.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.9 CHF 46.04

$15.32 BGN 26.65

264.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.5 CHF 74.5

$46.39 BGN 80.7

95.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$49.67 CHF 40.90

$28.09 BGN 48.87

76.82%

Cinema Ticket

$25.71 CHF 21.18

$10.04 BGN 17.46

156.08%

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

$1,791 CHF 1,475

$775 BGN 1,348

131.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.2K CHF 26.5K

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

156.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$88.1 BGN 153

62.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.7 CHF 48.31

$41.39 BGN 72.0

41.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$168 CHF 138

$107 BGN 186

57.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 CHF 208

$106 BGN 185

137.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,739 CHF 1,432

$770 BGN 1,340

125.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 CHF 1,214

$602 BGN 1,048

144.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,977 CHF 2,452

$1,564 BGN 2,721

90.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,600 CHF 2,142

$1,036 BGN 1,803

150.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.9K CHF 13.9K

$4,567 BGN 7,946

269.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.3K CHF 10.9K

$3,162 BGN 5,502

319.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

2.89

-28.37%

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

Last update for Cham: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cham

$1.5K 41.8%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 59.2% $872

Groceries & Markets

Cham

$604 17.1%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 51.8% $313

Eating Out

Cham

$470 13.3%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 45.8% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cham

$366 10.4%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 47.1% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Cham

$280 7.9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 45% $126

Getting Around

Cham

$191 5.4%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 79.8% $152

Sport & Entertainment

Cham

$142 4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 53.2% $75

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,739 in Cham and $770 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $122 in Cham vs $68.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $604 vs $291 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Cham

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

1 h ahead of Cham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,060

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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Cham Sofia 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Cham
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

Cham vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 120% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $5,290 in Cham and $2,400 in Sofia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,739 in Cham versus $770 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,791 in Cham versus $775 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 108% higher in Cham. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,600 in Sofia versus $3,527 in Cham, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Cham. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Cham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cham 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 120% less than in Cham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.