Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and in Sofia: $1,600 and $1,589 a month, rent and utilities included.

79

Cost of Living Index in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
Learn more

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,600

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $1,600
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,345 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $2,345
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,090 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands $3,090
Sofia $3,324

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands costs about 1% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and Sofia sit above the global median – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands by 19%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.29 €13.70

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-10.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.5 €51.5

$66.9 BGN 117

-14.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 €9.32

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-11.64%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.91

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-37.72%

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

$2.41 €2.16

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-8.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.23 €2.90

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-3.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.38 €3.03

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-25.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-37.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-10.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-26.70%

Eggs

$2.80 €2.51

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-36.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.71 €12.28

$11.56 BGN 20.22

18.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.26 €7.40

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-6.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.30 €13.71

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.17 BGN 3.79

13.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-3.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.84 BGN 3.22

7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-40.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.03 BGN 1.80

66.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.84

$0.93 BGN 1.62

120.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.20 BGN 2.11

9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.61

$4.30 BGN 7.53

45.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.68 €5.09

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-22.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.12

$1.18 BGN 2.06

5.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.83

$1.87 BGN 3.28

9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

95.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.53 €30.93

$28.14 BGN 49.24

22.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.58

$1.74 BGN 3.04

129.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.96 BGN 1.68

29.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.63 €22.06

$15.54 BGN 27.19

58.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.79 BGN 3.14

0.56%

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

$38.4K €34.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

27.97%

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

$30.4K €27.3K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

15.38%

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

$133 €119

$156 BGN 273

-14.64%

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

$21.10 €18.90

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.91 €27.69

$15.64 BGN 27.37

97.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.28 €42.36

$46.76 BGN 81.8

1.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 €13.72

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-44.81%

Cinema Ticket

$9.19 €8.23

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-8.28%

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

$409 €366

$766 BGN 1,341

-46.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,292 €7,428

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-35.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.2

$89.7 BGN 157

-5.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.30 €31.62

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-13.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.8

$106 BGN 186

-16.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.6

$105 BGN 183

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$843 €755

$796 BGN 1,393

5.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 €618

$607 BGN 1,063

13.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,304 €1,168

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-16.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$995 €891

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-6.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,345 €2,996

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-23.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,308 €2,068

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-28.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

2.89

21.11%

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

Last update for Gran Canaria, Canary Islands: 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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$689 42.7%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 11.9% $82

Groceries & Markets

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$262 16.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 9.8% $26

Eating Out

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$218 13.5%

Sofia

$256 16% 17.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$185 11.5%

Sofia

$193 12% 4.1% $7.7

Clothing & Footwear

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$143 8.8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 7.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$66 4.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 1.7% $1.1

Getting Around

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

$52 3.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 26% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $843 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $796 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57.0 in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $262 vs $287 – making Gran Canaria, Canary Islands the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:40 9:40 AM

11:40 11:40 AM

2 h ahead of Gran Canaria, Canary Islands

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

862,893

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands Sofia 3,850 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands
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

Gran Canaria, Canary Islands vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Gran Canaria, Canary Islands is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,401 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $409 per month in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands at $1,600. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Gran Canaria, Canary Islands makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.