Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Exeter and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,396 in Exeter, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Exeter
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Exeter Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Exeter

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,396

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,396 in Exeter versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Exeter $2,396
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,801 in Exeter versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Exeter $3,801
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,206 in Exeter versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Exeter $5,206
Sofia $3,361

Living in Exeter is roughly 50% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Exeter 78% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.02 £15.02

$16.87 BGN 29.35

18.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$98.9 £74.2

$65.8 BGN 115

50.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 £6.84

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-19.43%

Cappuccino

$4.73 £3.55

$3.43 BGN 5.98

37.90%

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

$3.12 £2.34

$2.41 BGN 4.19

29.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 £1.80

$1.85 BGN 3.22

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 £5.35

$3.70 BGN 6.44

92.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 £4.65

$4.58 BGN 7.97

35.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 £1.13

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-25.74%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 £1.20

$1.56 BGN 2.72

2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 £1.33

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-23.61%

Eggs

$4.31 £3.23

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.95 £6.72

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-23.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.41 £6.31

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-4.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.94 £17.21

$17.46 BGN 30.38

31.39%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 £2.26

$2.15 BGN 3.74

40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.93 BGN 3.37

18.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 £2.30

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-27.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.27 £1.70

$1.04 BGN 1.80

118.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 £1.52

$0.85 BGN 1.48

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 £1.12

$1.15 BGN 2.00

30.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 £1.42

$0.89 BGN 1.56

112.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.33 £17.51

$4.21 BGN 7.33

454.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.21 £6.91

$7.46 BGN 12.98

23.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.52 £2.64

$1.15 BGN 2.01

206.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.41 £3.31

$1.85 BGN 3.23

138.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.00 £3.00

$0.87 BGN 1.51

359.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 £78.2

$28.53 BGN 49.65

265.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.96 £4.47

$1.68 BGN 2.93

254.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 £1.83

$0.94 BGN 1.63

158.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.16 £18.12

$15.35 BGN 26.70

57.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.94 £1.46

$1.69 BGN 2.94

14.79%

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

$38.8K £29.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

30.24%

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

$40.2K £30.2K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

53.91%

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

$469 £352

$156 BGN 272

200.79%

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

$15.80 £11.85

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-26.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.56 £34.93

$15.24 BGN 26.51

205.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.93 £32.96

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-4.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.13 £9.85

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-52.97%

Cinema Ticket

$12.73 £9.55

$10.18 BGN 17.72

25.05%

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

$1,413 £1,060

$774 BGN 1,347

82.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.5K £13.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

36.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 £50.3

$89.9 BGN 157

-25.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.64 £23.74

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-23.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.6

$105 BGN 183

-2.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.1 £56.3

$107 BGN 186

-29.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 £853

$783 BGN 1,362

45.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 £670

$597 BGN 1,038

49.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,384 £1,788

$1,516 BGN 2,638

57.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,063 £1,547

$1,030 BGN 1,792

100.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,317 £3,989

$4,350 BGN 7,568

22.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,618 £4,965

$3,177 BGN 5,528

108.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,096 £2,323

$1,735 BGN 3,019

78.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.11

2.89

76.82%

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

Last update for Exeter: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Exeter

$893 37.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 33.2% $296

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Exeter

$532 22.2%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 63.7% $339

Groceries & Markets

Exeter

$326 13.6%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 10.8% $35

Eating Out

Exeter

$314 13.1%

Sofia

$255 16% 19% $60

Getting Around

Exeter

$138 5.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 72.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Exeter

$124 5.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 24.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Exeter

$69 2.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 4.3% $3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,137 in Exeter and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Exeter pays 78% 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: $99.0 in Exeter vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $326 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Exeter

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:28 8:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

2 h ahead of Exeter

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

130,800

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

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Between locations

Exeter Sofia 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Exeter
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

Exeter vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Exeter and Sofia differ by about 50% in total monthly costs ($2,396 vs $1,594 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 78% higher in Exeter, 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: $1,137 in Exeter 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 $99.0 in Exeter. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,396 per month in Exeter versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 50% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,396 in Exeter, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Exeter. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Exeter 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 50% less than in Exeter. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.