Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gothenburg and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,042 in Gothenburg, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Gothenburg
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Gothenburg Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Gothenburg

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,042

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,042 in Gothenburg versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Gothenburg $2,042
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,064 in Gothenburg versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Gothenburg $3,064
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,086 in Gothenburg versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Gothenburg $4,086
Sofia $3,324

Living in Gothenburg is roughly 29% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gothenburg 52% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.84 SEK 128

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-24.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.5 SEK 834

$66.9 BGN 117

24.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.20 SEK 122

$11.77 BGN 20.59

3.65%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SEK 48.09

$3.42 BGN 5.99

40.64%

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

$2.81 SEK 28.09

$2.42 BGN 4.23

16.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 SEK 22.46

$1.86 BGN 3.26

20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.07 SEK 70.7

$3.33 BGN 5.83

112.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.29 SEK 72.8

$4.53 BGN 7.92

60.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 SEK 16.48

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-14.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 SEK 28.12

$1.51 BGN 2.64

86.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 SEK 32.25

$2.21 BGN 3.88

46.15%

Eggs

$3.75 SEK 37.44

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-14.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.21 SEK 112

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-3.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.49 SEK 115

$8.79 BGN 15.38

30.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.27 SEK 163

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.85

$2.17 BGN 3.79

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 SEK 24.98

$2.04 BGN 3.57

22.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.79

$1.84 BGN 3.22

61.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.33 SEK 43.27

$4.29 BGN 7.51

0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.80 SEK 18.03

$1.03 BGN 1.80

74.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SEK 16.86

$0.93 BGN 1.62

81.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.97 SEK 19.66

$1.20 BGN 2.11

64.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 SEK 15.74

$0.92 BGN 1.62

70.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.17 SEK 81.6

$4.30 BGN 7.53

90.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.70 SEK 147

$7.33 BGN 12.83

100.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.88

$1.18 BGN 2.06

68.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 SEK 22.41

$1.87 BGN 3.28

19.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.59 SEK 35.89

$0.87 BGN 1.52

312.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 SEK 863

$28.14 BGN 49.24

206.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.03 SEK 60.2

$1.74 BGN 3.04

246.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 SEK 16.43

$0.96 BGN 1.68

70.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 SEK 588

$15.54 BGN 27.19

278.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.24

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-3.91%

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

$32.4K SEK 323.7K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

8.03%

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

$33.4K SEK 333.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

26.63%

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

$101 SEK 1,012

$156 BGN 273

-35.04%

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

$19.36 SEK 193

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-8.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.87 SEK 338

$15.64 BGN 27.37

116.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.60 SEK 346

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-26.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.33 SEK 243

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-12.29%

Cinema Ticket

$18.36 SEK 183

$10.02 BGN 17.53

83.23%

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

$223 SEK 2,229

$766 BGN 1,341

-70.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,448 SEK 44.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-65.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 SEK 869

$89.7 BGN 157

-3.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.02 SEK 330

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 SEK 857

$106 BGN 186

-19.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 SEK 1,323

$105 BGN 183

26.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,035 SEK 10.3K

$796 BGN 1,393

29.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 SEK 9,273

$607 BGN 1,063

52.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,768 SEK 17.7K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 SEK 13.8K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

30.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,117 SEK 61.1K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

40.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,377 SEK 33.8K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

3.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,444 SEK 34.4K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

98.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.06

2.89

5.88%

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

Last update for Gothenburg: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gothenburg

$928 45.4%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 34.5% $321

Groceries & Markets

Gothenburg

$355 17.4%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 19.1% $68

Eating Out

Gothenburg

$267 13.1%

Sofia

$256 16% 4.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gothenburg

$155 7.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 24.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Gothenburg

$152 7.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1% $1.5

Getting Around

Gothenburg

$115 5.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 66.8% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Gothenburg

$71 3.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 6.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,035 in Gothenburg and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gothenburg pays 98% 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: $83.0 in Gothenburg vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $355 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Gothenburg

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h ahead of Gothenburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

607,882

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gothenburg Sofia 1,850 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gothenburg
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

Gothenburg vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 29% lower than in Gothenburg. 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 98% higher in Gothenburg, 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: $1,035 in Gothenburg versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $223 in Gothenburg versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Gothenburg. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,042 in Gothenburg, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Gothenburg. 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 $1,589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Gothenburg 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 29% less than in Gothenburg. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.