Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haarlem and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,171 in Haarlem, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

154

Cost of Living Index in Haarlem
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Haarlem Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Haarlem

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$3,171

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,171 per month in Haarlem vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Haarlem $3,171
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $4,482 per month in Haarlem vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Haarlem $4,482
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $5,792 per month in Haarlem vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Haarlem $5,792
Sofia $3,324

Haarlem costs about 100% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Haarlem and Sofia sit above the global median – Haarlem by 137%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$28.72 €25.63

$17.10 BGN 29.93

67.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.5 €88.8

$66.9 BGN 117

48.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.62 €12.15

$11.77 BGN 20.59

15.72%

Cappuccino

$4.31 €3.85

$3.42 BGN 5.99

26.02%

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

$4.05 €3.61

$2.42 BGN 4.23

67.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 €2.93

$1.86 BGN 3.26

76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.07 €7.20

$3.33 BGN 5.83

142.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 €5.15

$4.53 BGN 7.92

27.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-23.44%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.47

$1.51 BGN 2.64

82.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.21 BGN 3.88

19.00%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.39

$4.40 BGN 7.69

11.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 €12.14

$11.56 BGN 20.22

17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.01 €11.61

$8.79 BGN 15.38

48.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 €19.37

$16.97 BGN 29.71

27.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.58

$2.17 BGN 3.79

33.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.04 BGN 3.57

24.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-0.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.15 €4.59

$4.29 BGN 7.51

20.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.03 BGN 1.80

77.67%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$0.93 BGN 1.62

139.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 €1.10

$1.20 BGN 2.11

2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$0.92 BGN 1.62

8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.77 €12.29

$4.30 BGN 7.53

220.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.77 €6.93

$7.33 BGN 12.83

6.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.18 BGN 2.06

32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.87 BGN 3.28

32.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.89 €2.57

$0.87 BGN 1.52

232.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.8 €72.1

$28.14 BGN 49.24

187.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.47 €5.78

$1.74 BGN 3.04

271.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.96 BGN 1.68

164.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.21 €23.39

$15.54 BGN 27.19

68.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.79 BGN 3.14

37.43%

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

$40.9K €36.5K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

36.47%

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

$39.4K €35.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

49.25%

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

$251 €224

$156 BGN 273

61.24%

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

$23.91 €21.34

$21.21 BGN 37.11

12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.8 €53.3

$15.64 BGN 27.37

282.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.4 €51.2

$46.76 BGN 81.8

22.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.49 €25.42

$27.74 BGN 48.54

2.70%

Cinema Ticket

$16.36 €14.60

$10.02 BGN 17.53

63.27%

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

$2,638 €2,354

$766 BGN 1,341

244.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,600 €5,890

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-48.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.0 €75.9

$89.7 BGN 157

-5.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.2 €55.5

$40.88 BGN 71.5

52.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 €86.7

$106 BGN 186

-8.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$105 BGN 183

40.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,980 €1,767

$796 BGN 1,393

148.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,495

$607 BGN 1,063

175.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,884 €2,573

$1,563 BGN 2,735

84.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,060 BGN 1,855

122.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,735 €6,902

$4,357 BGN 7,626

77.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,735 €5,118

$3,250 BGN 5,688

76.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,202 €3,749

$1,740 BGN 3,044

141.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

2.89

31.49%

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

Last update for Haarlem: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Haarlem

$1.7K 53.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 63.7% $1.1K

Eating Out

Haarlem

$404 12.8%

Sofia

$256 16% 36.5% $147

Groceries & Markets

Haarlem

$361 11.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 20.5% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haarlem

$335 10.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 42.5% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Haarlem

$176 5.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 12.8% $23

Getting Around

Haarlem

$112 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 65.8% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Haarlem

$90 2.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 25.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,980 in Haarlem 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.

Salaries run about 142% higher in Haarlem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Haarlem versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $361 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Haarlem

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Haarlem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,396

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 = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Haarlem Sofia 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Haarlem
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

Haarlem vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haarlem costs about 100% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,757 per month in Haarlem 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $99.0 in Haarlem and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,171 in Haarlem and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 100%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Haarlem at $3,171. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haarlem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $3,171 in Haarlem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Haarlem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.