Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gozo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,801 in Gozo, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Gozo
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Gozo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Gozo

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,801

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,801 in Gozo versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Gozo $1,801
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,747 in Gozo versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Gozo $2,747
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,694 in Gozo versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Gozo $3,694
Sofia $3,361

Living in Gozo is roughly 13% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Gozo 33% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.99 €27.57

$16.87 BGN 29.35

83.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$95.8 €85.2

$65.8 BGN 115

45.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.03 €9.81

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-2.56%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-16.62%

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

$2.38 €2.12

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-1.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-28.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.30 €2.94

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-10.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 €4.14

$4.58 BGN 7.97

1.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-41.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.80 €2.49

$2.33 BGN 4.05

20.17%

Eggs

$2.86 €2.55

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-34.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.20 €9.07

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-13.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.81 €6.94

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-11.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.33 €16.30

$17.46 BGN 30.38

4.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.40

$2.15 BGN 3.74

25.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.98 BGN 3.44

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$1.93 BGN 3.37

32.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-63.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.04 BGN 1.80

78.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 €1.25

$0.85 BGN 1.48

65.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.15 BGN 2.00

23.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.89 BGN 1.56

17.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 €5.53

$4.21 BGN 7.33

47.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.24 €2.88

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-56.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.15 BGN 2.01

29.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-37.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.87 BGN 1.51

226.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.68 BGN 2.93

137.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.80 €1.60

$0.94 BGN 1.63

91.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.01 €29.36

$15.35 BGN 26.70

115.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-12.43%

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

$28.4K €25.3K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-4.64%

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

$39.1K €34.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

49.47%

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

$94.1 €83.7

$156 BGN 272

-39.70%

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

$31.19 €27.74

$21.56 BGN 37.52

44.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.57 €26.31

$15.24 BGN 26.51

94.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 €44.78

$46.08 BGN 80.2

9.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.15 €9.92

$10.18 BGN 17.72

9.53%

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

$282 €251

$774 BGN 1,347

-63.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K €10.8K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-5.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.4 €51.1

$89.9 BGN 157

-36.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.45 €43.98

$41.29 BGN 71.8

19.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.4 €57.2

$105 BGN 183

-38.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €118

$107 BGN 186

23.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 €815

$783 BGN 1,362

17.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$797 €709

$597 BGN 1,038

33.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 €1,229

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,161 €1,033

$1,030 BGN 1,792

12.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 €3,869

$4,350 BGN 7,568

0.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,948 €3,512

$3,177 BGN 5,528

24.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 €1,145

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-25.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.78

2.89

30.80%

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

Last update for Gozo: 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

Gozo

$797 44.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 25.1% $201

Eating Out

Gozo

$356 19.8%

Sofia

$255 16% 28.4% $101

Groceries & Markets

Gozo

$259 14.4%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 12.2% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gozo

$155 8.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 24.5% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Gozo

$137 7.6%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 13.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Gozo

$73 4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 8.5% $6.2

Getting Around

Gozo

$24 * 1.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 57.5% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $917 in Gozo and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 35% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $96.0 in Gozo vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $259 vs $290, with Gozo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇹 Gozo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

21:04 9:04 PM

1 h ahead of Gozo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,680

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

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Between locations

Gozo Sofia 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Gozo
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

Gozo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 13% lower than in Gozo. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Sofia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $917 in Gozo versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Gozo pay roughly 12% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $1,801 per month in Gozo versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 13% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,801 in Gozo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Gozo. 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, Gozo 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 13% less than in Gozo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.