Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Friedrichshafen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,494 in Friedrichshafen, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Friedrichshafen
Learn more

Friedrichshafen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Friedrichshafen

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,494

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,494 in Friedrichshafen versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Friedrichshafen $2,494
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,091 in Friedrichshafen versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Friedrichshafen $3,091
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,688 in Friedrichshafen versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Friedrichshafen $3,688
Sofia $3,361

Living in Friedrichshafen is roughly 56% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Friedrichshafen 85% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.05

$16.87 BGN 29.35

0.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.2 €64.2

$65.8 BGN 115

9.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.20 €9.96

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-1.06%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.56

$3.43 BGN 5.98

16.62%

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

$3.87 €3.44

$2.41 BGN 4.19

60.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.48

$1.85 BGN 3.22

50.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 €4.59

$3.70 BGN 6.44

39.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.15 €4.59

$4.58 BGN 7.97

12.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-36.63%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.56 BGN 2.72

37.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.33 BGN 4.05

11.16%

Eggs

$3.53 €3.14

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-19.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.14 €12.57

$11.76 BGN 20.47

20.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.18 €9.94

$8.83 BGN 15.37

26.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.23 €15.33

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-1.32%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.71

$2.15 BGN 3.74

41.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.58

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-10.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.93 BGN 3.37

8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.80

$4.24 BGN 7.37

0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$1.04 BGN 1.80

35.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.85 BGN 1.48

38.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.15 BGN 2.00

26.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.96 €8.86

$4.21 BGN 7.33

136.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.23 €5.54

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-16.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.87 BGN 1.51

202.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.2 €62.4

$28.53 BGN 49.65

146.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.65 €5.92

$1.68 BGN 2.93

295.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.93 €2.61

$0.94 BGN 1.63

211.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.07 €39.20

$15.35 BGN 26.70

187.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.69 BGN 2.94

22.49%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

10.77%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

40.82%

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

$216 €192

$156 BGN 272

38.61%

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

$18.52 €16.48

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-14.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.86 €34.57

$15.24 BGN 26.51

154.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.15 €32.16

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-21.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$15.68 €13.95

$10.18 BGN 17.72

54.03%

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

$833 €741

$774 BGN 1,347

7.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.1K €14.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

25.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.9 €76.4

$89.9 BGN 157

-4.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.68 €37.07

$41.29 BGN 71.8

0.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.0

$105 BGN 183

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.9

$107 BGN 186

5.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,413 €1,257

$783 BGN 1,362

80.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 €1,164

$597 BGN 1,038

119.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,878 €1,671

$1,516 BGN 2,638

23.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €944

$1,030 BGN 1,792

3.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,361 €2,989

$3,177 BGN 5,528

5.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,065 €2,726

$1,735 BGN 3,019

76.63%

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 Friedrichshafen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Friedrichshafen

$1.3K 52.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 54.4% $712

Groceries & Markets

Friedrichshafen

$308 12.4%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 5.7% $17

Eating Out

Friedrichshafen

$280 11.2%

Sofia

$255 16% 8.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Friedrichshafen

$274 11%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 29.5% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Friedrichshafen

$154 6.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 0.3% $0.4

Getting Around

Friedrichshafen

$102 4.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 62.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Friedrichshafen

$68 2.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 1.6% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,413 in Friedrichshafen and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Friedrichshafen pays 77% 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: $72.0 in Friedrichshafen vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Friedrichshafen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:02 7:02 AM

08:02 8:02 AM

1 h ahead of Friedrichshafen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,099

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Friedrichshafen Sofia 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Friedrichshafen
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

Friedrichshafen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Friedrichshafen and Sofia differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,494 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 77% higher in Friedrichshafen, 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: $1,413 in Friedrichshafen versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Friedrichshafen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $72.0 in Friedrichshafen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,494 in Friedrichshafen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Friedrichshafen. 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, Friedrichshafen 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 56% less than in Friedrichshafen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.