Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eskilstuna and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
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Eskilstuna Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,748 in Eskilstuna versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Eskilstuna $1,748
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,674 in Eskilstuna versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Eskilstuna $2,674
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,600 in Eskilstuna versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Eskilstuna $3,600
Sofia $3,361

Living in Eskilstuna is roughly 10% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Eskilstuna 30% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.55 SEK 134

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-19.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 SEK 633

$65.8 BGN 115

-2.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.22 SEK 101

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-9.72%

Cappuccino

$4.29 SEK 42.52

$3.43 BGN 5.98

25.07%

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

$2.58 SEK 25.55

$2.41 BGN 4.19

7.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 SEK 21.94

$1.85 BGN 3.22

19.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.90 SEK 48.55

$3.70 BGN 6.44

32.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 SEK 49.54

$4.58 BGN 7.97

9.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 SEK 14.20

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 SEK 31.18

$1.56 BGN 2.72

101.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.41 SEK 33.81

$2.33 BGN 4.05

46.35%

Eggs

$3.93 SEK 38.94

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.32 SEK 132

$11.76 BGN 20.47

13.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.27 SEK 122

$8.83 BGN 15.37

38.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-27.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.01

$2.15 BGN 3.74

50.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 SEK 26.55

$1.98 BGN 3.44

35.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.11

$1.93 BGN 3.37

31.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.72 SEK 36.88

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-12.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 13.96

$1.04 BGN 1.80

35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 SEK 17.72

$0.85 BGN 1.48

110.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.05 SEK 30.24

$1.15 BGN 2.00

165.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 SEK 17.07

$0.89 BGN 1.56

93.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.88 SEK 68.2

$4.21 BGN 7.33

63.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.80 SEK 77.2

$7.46 BGN 12.98

4.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 SEK 19.42

$1.15 BGN 2.01

70.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.82

$1.85 BGN 3.23

18.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.23 SEK 32.02

$0.87 BGN 1.51

271.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 SEK 663

$28.53 BGN 49.65

134.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.72 SEK 126

$1.68 BGN 2.93

657.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.05 SEK 20.27

$0.94 BGN 1.63

118.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$78.2 SEK 775

$15.35 BGN 26.70

409.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.16

$1.69 BGN 2.94

2.37%

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

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

5.49%

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

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

24.25%

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

$177 SEK 1,751

$156 BGN 272

13.22%

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

$28.43 SEK 282

$21.56 BGN 37.52

31.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.00 SEK 377

$15.24 BGN 26.51

149.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.49 SEK 243

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-46.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.82 SEK 256

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-7.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.84 SEK 107

$10.18 BGN 17.72

6.48%

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

$148 SEK 1,468

$774 BGN 1,347

-80.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-60.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 SEK 973

$89.9 BGN 157

9.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.44 SEK 292

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-28.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.7 SEK 889

$105 BGN 183

-14.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$148 SEK 1,465

$107 BGN 186

38.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$791 SEK 7,840

$783 BGN 1,362

1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 SEK 5,961

$597 BGN 1,038

0.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-24.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-6.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-12.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

140.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.8

2.89

-3.11%

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

Last update for Eskilstuna: 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

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 0.8% $4.7

Groceries & Markets

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 16.1% $56

Eating Out

Eskilstuna

$244 14%

Sofia

$255 16% 4.3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 20.7% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 6% $9.9

Getting Around

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 62.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 43.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $791 in Eskilstuna and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eskilstuna pays 140% 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: $64.0 in Eskilstuna vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $346 vs $290, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Eskilstuna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,359

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eskilstuna Sofia 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Eskilstuna
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

Eskilstuna vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Eskilstuna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 140% higher in Eskilstuna, 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: $791 in Eskilstuna versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,748 per month in Eskilstuna versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 134% less than in Eskilstuna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Eskilstuna. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Eskilstuna 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 10% less than in Eskilstuna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.