Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cheltenham and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,327 in Cheltenham, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in Cheltenham
Learn more

Cheltenham Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Cheltenham

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,327

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,327 in Cheltenham versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Cheltenham $2,327
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,528 in Cheltenham versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Cheltenham $3,528
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,729 in Cheltenham versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Cheltenham $4,729
Sofia $3,361

Living in Cheltenham is roughly 46% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Cheltenham 72% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.67 £17.75

$16.87 BGN 29.35

40.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 £79.1

$65.8 BGN 115

60.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 £8.28

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-2.56%

Cappuccino

$4.89 £3.67

$3.43 BGN 5.98

42.57%

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

$2.56 £1.92

$2.41 BGN 4.19

6.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 £1.31

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-5.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.76 £5.82

$3.70 BGN 6.44

109.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$4.58 BGN 7.97

42.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 £1.30

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 £1.29

$1.56 BGN 2.72

9.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.99 £1.49

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-14.59%

Eggs

$4.43 £3.33

$4.36 BGN 7.59

1.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.19 £6.15

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-30.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.59 £7.19

$8.83 BGN 15.37

8.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.09 £9.82

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-25.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 £2.32

$2.15 BGN 3.74

44.19%

Banana (1kg)

$1.43 £1.07

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 £1.45

$1.93 BGN 3.37

Tomato (1kg)

$3.49 £2.62

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 £1.14

$1.04 BGN 1.80

46.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.51 £1.13

$0.85 BGN 1.48

77.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 £0.91

$1.15 BGN 2.00

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 £1.07

$0.89 BGN 1.56

59.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.12 £17.35

$4.21 BGN 7.33

449.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.63 £7.98

$7.46 BGN 12.98

42.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.15 BGN 2.01

148.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 £2.20

$1.85 BGN 3.23

58.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.44 £2.58

$0.87 BGN 1.51

295.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$92.5 £69.4

$28.53 BGN 49.65

224.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 £2.65

$1.68 BGN 2.93

110.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 £1.23

$0.94 BGN 1.63

74.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.85 £20.14

$15.35 BGN 26.70

74.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.87 £1.40

$1.69 BGN 2.94

10.65%

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

$37.1K £27.8K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

24.44%

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

$41.2K £30.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

57.57%

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

$341 £256

$156 BGN 272

118.29%

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

$17.10 £12.83

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-20.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.0 £38.24

$15.24 BGN 26.51

234.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.28 £33.22

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-3.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.01 £29.27

$27.92 BGN 48.58

39.72%

Cinema Ticket

$14.00 £10.50

$10.18 BGN 17.72

37.52%

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

$2,020 £1,516

$774 BGN 1,347

160.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.2K £18.9K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

96.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 £73.7

$89.9 BGN 157

9.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.22 £36.18

$41.29 BGN 71.8

16.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 £79.4

$105 BGN 183

0.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 £72.7

$107 BGN 186

-9.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 £871

$783 BGN 1,362

48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$929 £697

$597 BGN 1,038

55.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,149 £1,613

$1,516 BGN 2,638

41.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,617 £1,213

$1,030 BGN 1,792

56.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,704 £4,279

$4,350 BGN 7,568

31.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,676 £4,258

$3,177 BGN 5,528

78.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,753 £3,566

$1,735 BGN 3,019

173.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.54

2.89

91.70%

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

Last update for Cheltenham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cheltenham

$929 39.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 35.7% $332

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cheltenham

$409 17.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 52.8% $216

Eating Out

Cheltenham

$350 15.1%

Sofia

$255 16% 27.3% $95

Groceries & Markets

Cheltenham

$292 12.6%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 0.6% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Cheltenham

$157 6.8%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 1.7% $2.7

Getting Around

Cheltenham

$118 5.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 67.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Cheltenham

$72 3.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 8.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,161 in Cheltenham and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cheltenham pays 174% 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: $105 in Cheltenham vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cheltenham

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

22:03 10:03 PM

00:03 12:03 AM

2 h ahead of Cheltenham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,300

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cheltenham Sofia 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cheltenham
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

Cheltenham vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 174% higher in Cheltenham, 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: $1,161 in Cheltenham versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $105 in Cheltenham. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,327 per month in Cheltenham versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 46% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,327 in Cheltenham, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Cheltenham. 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 Cheltenham, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Cheltenham 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 46% less than in Cheltenham. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.