Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eastleigh and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,416 in Eastleigh, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Eastleigh
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,416
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Eastleigh vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $2,416
  • Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,509 per month in Eastleigh vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $3,509
  • Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $4,601 per month in Eastleigh vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Eastleigh $4,601
  • Sofia $3,361

Eastleigh costs about 52% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Eastleigh and Sofia sit above the global median – Eastleigh by 79%, Sofia by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$23.44 £17.58
$16.87 BGN 29.35
38.94%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.0 £59.3
$65.8 BGN 115
20.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.38 £7.04
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-17.14%
Cappuccino
$4.71 £3.53
$3.43 BGN 5.98
37.32%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.62 £1.97
$2.41 BGN 4.19
8.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 £0.61
$1.85 BGN 3.22
-55.68%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.36 £4.02
$3.70 BGN 6.44
44.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.37 £4.03
$4.58 BGN 7.97
17.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.71 £1.28
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-15.35%
White Bread (500g)
$1.90 £1.43
$1.56 BGN 2.72
21.79%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 £1.53
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-12.88%
Eggs
$3.26 £2.44
$4.36 BGN 7.59
-25.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.70 £3.52
$11.76 BGN 20.47
-60.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.47 £7.86
$8.83 BGN 15.37
18.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$20.52 £15.40
$17.46 BGN 30.38
17.53%
Apples (1kg)
$4.37 £3.28
$2.15 BGN 3.74
103.26%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 £1.06
$1.98 BGN 3.44
-28.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.93 BGN 3.37
-3.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.47 £2.60
$4.24 BGN 7.37
-18.16%
Potato (1kg)
$1.58 £1.18
$1.04 BGN 1.80
51.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.85 £1.39
$0.85 BGN 1.48
117.65%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.50 £1.13
$1.15 BGN 2.00
30.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.43 £1.07
$0.89 BGN 1.56
60.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.89 £17.92
$4.21 BGN 7.33
467.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.46 £8.60
$7.46 BGN 12.98
53.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.17 £2.38
$1.15 BGN 2.01
175.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 £2.28
$1.85 BGN 3.23
63.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.54 £2.66
$0.87 BGN 1.51
306.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$95.3 £71.5
$28.53 BGN 49.65
234.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$4.93 £3.70
$1.68 BGN 2.93
193.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.07 £1.55
$0.94 BGN 1.63
120.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$26.17 £19.63
$15.35 BGN 26.70
70.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 £1.53
$1.69 BGN 2.94
21.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.8K £28.3K
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
26.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.8K £30.6K
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
56.24%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$379 £284
$156 BGN 272
142.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.86 £17.90
$21.56 BGN 37.52
10.67%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$50.6 £37.96
$15.24 BGN 26.51
231.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$45.96 £34.48
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-0.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.98 £8.99
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-57.09%
Cinema Ticket
$17.59 £13.20
$10.18 BGN 17.72
72.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,303 £978
$774 BGN 1,347
68.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$22.5K £16.9K
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
75.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$65.5 £49.16
$89.9 BGN 157
-27.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.68 £34.27
$41.29 BGN 71.8
10.63%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$71.5 £53.6
$105 BGN 183
-31.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 £59.7
$107 BGN 186
-25.42%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,224 £919
$783 BGN 1,362
56.44%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$999 £749
$597 BGN 1,038
67.32%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,091 £1,568
$1,516 BGN 2,638
37.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,637 £1,228
$1,030 BGN 1,792
58.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,052 £3,790
$4,350 BGN 7,568
16.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,835 £2,877
$3,177 BGN 5,528
20.71%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Eastleigh
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-
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 Eastleigh: 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
Eastleigh
$999
Sofia
$597 40.2% $402
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eastleigh
$453
Sofia
$193 57.5% $261
Eating Out
Eastleigh
$323
Sofia
$255 21.2% $69
Groceries & Markets
Eastleigh
$317
Sofia
$290 8.3% $26
Getting Around
Eastleigh
$125
Sofia
$38 69.2% $86
Clothing & Footwear
Eastleigh
$118
Sofia
$154 30.8% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Eastleigh
$81
Sofia
$66 18.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,224 in Eastleigh versus $783 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Eastleigh versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $317 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Eastleigh
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
01:46 1:46 AM
03:46 3:46 AM
2 h ahead of Eastleigh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
123,160
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Eastleigh Sofia 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Eastleigh
  • 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
Eastleigh vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Eastleigh or Sofia?
Eastleigh costs about 52% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Eastleigh and in Sofia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,624 per month in Eastleigh and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Eastleigh or Sofia?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Eastleigh and in Sofia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Eastleigh and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How much does it cost to live in Eastleigh compared to Sofia?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,416 in Eastleigh and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 52%.
Can you live on $2,000/month in Eastleigh or in Sofia?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Eastleigh at $2,416. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Eastleigh it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Eastleigh or Sofia?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $2,416 in Eastleigh. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Eastleigh compared to Sofia?
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.
Should I move to Eastleigh or to Sofia?
If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Eastleigh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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