Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fredrikstad and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,983 in Fredrikstad, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in Fredrikstad
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Fredrikstad Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Fredrikstad

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,983

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,983 in Fredrikstad versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Fredrikstad $2,983
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,345 in Fredrikstad versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Fredrikstad $4,345
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,707 in Fredrikstad versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Fredrikstad $5,707
Sofia $3,361

Living in Fredrikstad is roughly 87% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Fredrikstad 121% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$26.28 NOK 247

$16.87 BGN 29.35

55.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 NOK 1,170

$65.8 BGN 115

88.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 NOK 119

$11.32 BGN 19.69

11.75%

Cappuccino

$6.77 NOK 63.7

$3.43 BGN 5.98

97.38%

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

$5.55 NOK 52.3

$2.41 BGN 4.19

130.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.36

$1.85 BGN 3.22

137.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.55 NOK 109

$3.70 BGN 6.44

212.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.57 NOK 90.1

$4.58 BGN 7.97

108.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.34 NOK 22.00

$2.02 BGN 3.51

15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.31 NOK 40.56

$1.56 BGN 2.72

176.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.43 NOK 32.31

$2.33 BGN 4.05

47.21%

Eggs

$5.82 NOK 54.8

$4.36 BGN 7.59

33.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.06 NOK 123

$11.76 BGN 20.47

11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.96 NOK 169

$8.83 BGN 15.37

103.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.38 NOK 324

$17.46 BGN 30.38

96.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 NOK 31.71

$2.15 BGN 3.74

56.74%

Banana (1kg)

$3.64 NOK 34.24

$1.98 BGN 3.44

83.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.30 NOK 40.49

$1.93 BGN 3.37

122.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.00 NOK 47.06

$4.24 BGN 7.37

17.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 NOK 24.74

$1.04 BGN 1.80

152.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.71 NOK 25.53

$0.85 BGN 1.48

218.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.82 NOK 26.50

$1.15 BGN 2.00

145.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.33 NOK 21.95

$0.89 BGN 1.56

161.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.51 NOK 146

$4.21 BGN 7.33

268.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.16 NOK 209

$7.46 BGN 12.98

197.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.49 NOK 32.81

$1.15 BGN 2.01

203.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 NOK 41.34

$1.85 BGN 3.23

137.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.11 NOK 38.71

$0.87 BGN 1.51

372.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.5 NOK 607

$28.53 BGN 49.65

125.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.56 NOK 118

$1.68 BGN 2.93

647.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 NOK 18.79

$0.94 BGN 1.63

112.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.1 NOK 660

$15.35 BGN 26.70

356.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.30 NOK 21.64

$1.69 BGN 2.94

36.09%

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

$49.8K NOK 468.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

66.98%

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

$46.9K NOK 441.1K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

79.28%

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

$331 NOK 3,118

$156 BGN 272

112.22%

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

$45.60 NOK 429

$21.56 BGN 37.52

111.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 NOK 630

$15.24 BGN 26.51

339.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.3 NOK 549

$46.08 BGN 80.2

26.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.86 NOK 385

$27.92 BGN 48.58

46.35%

Cinema Ticket

$20.19 NOK 190

$10.18 BGN 17.72

98.33%

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

$168 NOK 1,579

$774 BGN 1,347

-78.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K NOK 117.8K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-2.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$155 NOK 1,459

$89.9 BGN 157

72.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$78.7 NOK 741

$41.29 BGN 71.8

90.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 NOK 1,358

$105 BGN 183

37.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 NOK 1,051

$107 BGN 186

4.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 NOK 12.5K

$783 BGN 1,362

69.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 NOK 10.6K

$597 BGN 1,038

89.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,822 NOK 17.1K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

20.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 NOK 14.3K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

47.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,022 NOK 56.7K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

38.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,131 NOK 38.9K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

30.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,372 NOK 31.7K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

94.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.95

2.89

71.28%

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

Last update for Fredrikstad: 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

Fredrikstad

$1.1K 37.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 47.2% $534

Groceries & Markets

Fredrikstad

$540 18.1%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 46.2% $249

Eating Out

Fredrikstad

$446 15%

Sofia

$255 16% 42.9% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fredrikstad

$444 14.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 56.5% $251

Clothing & Footwear

Fredrikstad

$220 7.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 29.9% $66

Getting Around

Fredrikstad

$103 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 62.9% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Fredrikstad

$99 3.3%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 32.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,329 in Fredrikstad and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Fredrikstad pays 94% 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: $124 in Fredrikstad vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $540 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Fredrikstad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

1 h ahead of Fredrikstad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,267

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Fredrikstad Sofia 2,020 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Fredrikstad
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

Fredrikstad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 87% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 94% higher in Fredrikstad, 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: $1,329 in Fredrikstad versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $168 in Fredrikstad versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 86% higher in Fredrikstad. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,983 in Fredrikstad, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Fredrikstad. 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 Fredrikstad, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Fredrikstad 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 87% less than in Fredrikstad. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.