Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hafnarfjordur and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

186

Cost of Living Index in Hafnarfjordur
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Hafnarfjordur Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,877

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,877 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $3,877
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $5,400 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $5,400
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $6,923 per month in Hafnarfjordur vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Hafnarfjordur $6,923
Sofia $3,361

Hafnarfjordur costs about 143% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Hafnarfjordur and Sofia sit above the global median – Hafnarfjordur by 187%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.03 ISK 3,763

$16.87 BGN 29.35

83.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$65.8 BGN 115

88.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.27 ISK 1,973

$11.32 BGN 19.69

43.73%

Cappuccino

$6.88 ISK 835

$3.43 BGN 5.98

100.58%

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

$3.27 ISK 396

$2.41 BGN 4.19

35.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 372

$1.85 BGN 3.22

65.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$14.18 ISK 1,720

$3.70 BGN 6.44

283.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.22 ISK 1,482

$4.58 BGN 7.97

166.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 ISK 207

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-15.84%

White Bread (500g)

$4.18 ISK 507

$1.56 BGN 2.72

167.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.61 ISK 438

$2.33 BGN 4.05

54.94%

Eggs

$7.19 ISK 872

$4.36 BGN 7.59

64.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.88 ISK 2,654

$11.76 BGN 20.47

86.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.76 ISK 3,003

$8.83 BGN 15.37

180.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.29 ISK 5,130

$17.46 BGN 30.38

142.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 ISK 413

$2.15 BGN 3.74

58.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.50 ISK 303

$1.98 BGN 3.44

26.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.18 ISK 386

$1.93 BGN 3.37

64.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.33 ISK 767

$4.24 BGN 7.37

49.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.87 ISK 469

$1.04 BGN 1.80

272.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 ISK 205

$0.85 BGN 1.48

98.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.69 ISK 447

$1.15 BGN 2.00

220.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 ISK 220

$0.89 BGN 1.56

103.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,674

$4.21 BGN 7.33

227.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.94 ISK 2,904

$7.46 BGN 12.98

220.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.54 ISK 430

$1.15 BGN 2.01

207.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.43 ISK 416

$1.85 BGN 3.23

85.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.21 ISK 632

$0.87 BGN 1.51

498.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.4 ISK 10.4K

$28.53 BGN 49.65

199.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.58 ISK 798

$1.68 BGN 2.93

291.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.80 ISK 339

$0.94 BGN 1.63

197.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.9 ISK 9,810

$15.35 BGN 26.70

426.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.69 BGN 2.94

20.71%

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

$51.3K ISK 6.2M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

72.21%

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

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

103.98%

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

$70.7 ISK 8,571

$156 BGN 272

-54.72%

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

$33.02 ISK 4,005

$21.56 BGN 37.52

53.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.0 ISK 10.6K

$15.24 BGN 26.51

471.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.9 ISK 7,870

$46.08 BGN 80.2

40.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$17.05 ISK 2,068

$10.18 BGN 17.72

67.49%

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

$1,196 ISK 145.1K

$774 BGN 1,347

54.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

101.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 ISK 15.0K

$89.9 BGN 157

37.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.8 ISK 7,980

$41.29 BGN 71.8

59.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 ISK 15.2K

$105 BGN 183

18.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$252 ISK 30.6K

$107 BGN 186

136.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,498 ISK 302.9K

$783 BGN 1,362

219.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,087 ISK 253.1K

$597 BGN 1,038

249.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,226 ISK 391.3K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

112.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,607 ISK 316.2K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

153.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,085 ISK 859.4K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

62.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,990 ISK 847.8K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

120.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,751 ISK 576.2K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

173.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.89

204.84%

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

Last update for Hafnarfjordur: 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

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 71.4% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Hafnarfjordur

$619 16%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 53% $328

Eating Out

Hafnarfjordur

$500 12.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 49.1% $246

Clothing & Footwear

Hafnarfjordur

$255 6.6%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 39.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hafnarfjordur

$191 4.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 1.1% $2.2

Getting Around

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 69.7% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 32.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,498 in Hafnarfjordur 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.

Salaries run about 174% higher in Hafnarfjordur, 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 $124 in Hafnarfjordur versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $619 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:35 2:35 AM

05:35 5:35 AM

3 h ahead of Hafnarfjordur

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,525

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hafnarfjordur Sofia 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hafnarfjordur
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

Hafnarfjordur vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafnarfjordur costs about 143% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,816 per month in Hafnarfjordur 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 $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 143%.

Public transport costs about 199% 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 Hafnarfjordur at $3,877. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur. 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, Hafnarfjordur makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.