Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dublin and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,734 in Dublin, rent and utilities included – about $25,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

180

Cost of Living Index in Dublin
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Dublin Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Dublin

🇮🇪 Ireland

$3,734

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,734 per month in Dublin vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Dublin $3,734
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $5,273 per month in Dublin vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Dublin $5,273
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $6,811 per month in Dublin vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Dublin $6,811
Sofia $3,324

Dublin costs about 135% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dublin and Sofia sit above the global median – Dublin by 179%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.89 €21.30

$17.10 BGN 29.93

39.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.5

$66.9 BGN 117

51.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$11.77 BGN 20.59

15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.90 €4.37

$3.42 BGN 5.99

43.27%

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

$2.88 €2.57

$2.42 BGN 4.23

19.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.86 BGN 3.26

16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.64 €6.82

$3.33 BGN 5.83

129.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.47 €6.66

$4.53 BGN 7.92

64.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-12.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.44 €2.17

$1.51 BGN 2.64

61.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-7.24%

Eggs

$4.86 €4.34

$4.40 BGN 7.69

10.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.03 €8.94

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-13.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.98 €11.58

$8.79 BGN 15.38

47.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.54

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$2.17 BGN 3.79

31.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.04 BGN 3.57

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$1.84 BGN 3.22

45.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 €4.81

$4.29 BGN 7.51

25.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.03 BGN 1.80

80.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$0.93 BGN 1.62

61.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.20 BGN 2.11

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$0.92 BGN 1.62

120.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$21.45 €19.13

$4.30 BGN 7.53

398.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.70 €12.22

$7.33 BGN 12.83

86.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.34 €2.98

$1.18 BGN 2.06

183.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.19

$1.87 BGN 3.28

91.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.87 BGN 1.52

163.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 €94.8

$28.14 BGN 49.24

277.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 €4.72

$1.74 BGN 3.04

204.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.96 BGN 1.68

61.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$37.18 €33.15

$15.54 BGN 27.19

139.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.79 BGN 3.14

20.67%

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

$39.0K €34.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

30.08%

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

$39.6K €35.3K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

50.23%

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

$276 €246

$156 BGN 273

76.68%

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

$18.01 €16.06

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-15.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.0 €46.38

$15.64 BGN 27.37

232.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.8 €61.4

$46.76 BGN 81.8

47.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.99 €18.71

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-24.33%

Cinema Ticket

$16.00 €14.27

$10.02 BGN 17.53

59.68%

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

$1,296 €1,155

$766 BGN 1,341

69.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K €12.7K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

11.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.5

$89.7 BGN 157

19.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 €44.73

$40.88 BGN 71.5

22.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$106 BGN 186

5.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$105 BGN 183

26.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,465 €2,197

$796 BGN 1,393

209.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 €1,943

$607 BGN 1,063

258.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,492 €4,005

$1,563 BGN 2,735

187.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,520 €3,139

$1,060 BGN 1,855

232.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,511 €8,480

$4,357 BGN 7,626

118.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,656 €5,043

$3,250 BGN 5,688

74.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,795 €3,384

$1,740 BGN 3,044

118.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

2.89

32.18%

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

Last update for Dublin: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dublin

$2.2K 59.4%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 72.1% $1.6K

Groceries & Markets

Dublin

$367 10%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 21.7% $80

Eating Out

Dublin

$364 9.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 29.7% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dublin

$346 9.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 44.2% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Dublin

$181 4.9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 15.1% $27

Getting Around

Dublin

$129 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 70.3% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Dublin

$101 2.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 33.8% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,465 in Dublin 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 118% higher in Dublin, 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 $102 in Dublin versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $367 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Dublin

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

2 h ahead of Dublin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

588,233 Capital

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

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Between locations

Dublin Sofia 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dublin
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

Dublin vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,734 in Dublin, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 135% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,601 per month in Dublin 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Dublin and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,734 in Dublin and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 135%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Dublin at $3,734. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dublin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dublin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $3,734 in Dublin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Dublin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.