Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Grays and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,369 in Grays, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Grays
Learn more

Grays Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Grays

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,369

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,369 per month in Grays vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Grays $2,369
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,403 per month in Grays vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Grays $3,403
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $4,437 per month in Grays vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Grays $4,437
Sofia $3,361

Grays costs about 49% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Grays and Sofia sit above the global median – Grays by 75%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.94 £18.71

$16.87 BGN 29.35

47.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.3 £39.24

$65.8 BGN 115

-20.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.98 £7.49

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-11.84%

Cappuccino

$4.64 £3.48

$3.43 BGN 5.98

35.28%

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

$3.86 £2.90

$2.41 BGN 4.19

60.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.32 £2.49

$1.85 BGN 3.22

79.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 £4.05

$3.70 BGN 6.44

45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.88 £5.91

$4.58 BGN 7.97

72.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 £1.16

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-23.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 £1.10

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-5.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 £1.23

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-29.61%

Eggs

$4.41 £3.31

$4.36 BGN 7.59

1.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.06 £9.05

$11.76 BGN 20.47

2.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.17 £6.88

$8.83 BGN 15.37

3.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.11 £11.33

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-13.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.21

$2.15 BGN 3.74

37.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 £2.11

$1.93 BGN 3.37

46.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.77 £2.83

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-11.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 £1.65

$1.04 BGN 1.80

111.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 £1.35

$0.85 BGN 1.48

110.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 £0.88

$1.15 BGN 2.00

2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 £1.07

$0.89 BGN 1.56

60.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.07 £12.80

$4.21 BGN 7.33

305.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.87 £8.16

$7.46 BGN 12.98

45.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.04 £2.28

$1.15 BGN 2.01

164.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 £2.42

$1.85 BGN 3.23

74.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.54 £2.66

$0.87 BGN 1.51

306.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$97.5 £73.1

$28.53 BGN 49.65

241.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.88 £3.66

$1.68 BGN 2.93

190.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.69 £2.02

$0.94 BGN 1.63

186.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.12 £29.35

$15.35 BGN 26.70

154.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 £1.54

$1.69 BGN 2.94

21.89%

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

$38.6K £29.0K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

29.56%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

56.56%

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

$280 £210

$156 BGN 272

79.07%

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

$16.46 £12.35

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-23.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.70 £33.53

$15.24 BGN 26.51

193.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.48 £34.87

$46.08 BGN 80.2

0.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.16 £8.37

$10.18 BGN 17.72

9.63%

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

$2,079 £1,559

$774 BGN 1,347

168.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K £23.0K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

139.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 £68.2

$89.9 BGN 157

1.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.44 £33.34

$41.29 BGN 71.8

7.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 £78.4

$105 BGN 183

-0.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 £66.0

$107 BGN 186

-17.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,235 £926

$783 BGN 1,362

57.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,012 £759

$597 BGN 1,038

69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,126 £1,595

$1,516 BGN 2,638

40.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,634 £1,226

$1,030 BGN 1,792

58.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,052 £3,790

$4,350 BGN 7,568

16.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,847 £2,886

$3,177 BGN 5,528

21.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

2.89

77.16%

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

Last update for Grays: 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

Grays

$1K 42.7%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 41% $415

Eating Out

Grays

$357 15.1%

Sofia

$255 16% 28.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Grays

$341 14.4%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 43.4% $148

Groceries & Markets

Grays

$313 13.2%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 7.3% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Grays

$148 6.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 4.7% $6.9

Getting Around

Grays

$130 5.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 70.5% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Grays

$69 2.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 3.4% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,235 in Grays versus $783 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 $52.0 in Grays versus $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Grays vs $290 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Grays

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

10:34 10:34 AM

2 h ahead of Grays

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,601

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Grays Sofia 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Grays
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

Grays vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Grays is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,553 per month in Grays and $2,391 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,369 in Grays and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 49%.

Public transport costs about 242% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Grays at $2,369. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Grays 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, Grays makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.