Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamar and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
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Hamar Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,380 in Hamar versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Hamar $2,380
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,750 in Hamar versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Hamar $3,750
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,120 in Hamar versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Hamar $5,120
Sofia $3,361

Living in Hamar is roughly 49% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hamar 76% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 NOK 199

$16.87 BGN 29.35

25.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,180

$65.8 BGN 115

90.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.83 NOK 149

$11.32 BGN 19.69

39.84%

Cappuccino

$5.76 NOK 54.2

$3.43 BGN 5.98

67.93%

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

$4.21 NOK 39.63

$2.41 BGN 4.19

74.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 30.85

$1.85 BGN 3.22

77.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.49 NOK 108

$3.70 BGN 6.44

210.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.07 NOK 76.0

$4.58 BGN 7.97

76.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.50 NOK 23.53

$2.02 BGN 3.51

23.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.93 NOK 27.57

$1.56 BGN 2.72

87.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 NOK 19.36

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-11.59%

Eggs

$5.76 NOK 54.3

$4.36 BGN 7.59

32.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 NOK 104

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-6.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.20 NOK 115

$8.83 BGN 15.37

38.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.42 NOK 296

$17.46 BGN 30.38

79.95%

Apples (1kg)

$3.21 NOK 30.26

$2.15 BGN 3.74

49.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 NOK 24.17

$1.98 BGN 3.44

29.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.05 NOK 28.74

$1.93 BGN 3.37

58.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.89 NOK 55.5

$4.24 BGN 7.37

38.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 NOK 23.34

$1.04 BGN 1.80

138.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.44 NOK 22.95

$0.85 BGN 1.48

187.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 NOK 19.97

$1.15 BGN 2.00

84.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 NOK 18.74

$0.89 BGN 1.56

123.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$18.94 NOK 178

$4.21 BGN 7.33

349.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.40 NOK 154

$7.46 BGN 12.98

119.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.38 NOK 31.78

$1.15 BGN 2.01

193.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 NOK 39.37

$1.85 BGN 3.23

125.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.66 NOK 43.87

$0.87 BGN 1.51

435.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.5 NOK 635

$28.53 BGN 49.65

136.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.92 NOK 112

$1.68 BGN 2.93

609.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.78 NOK 16.76

$0.94 BGN 1.63

89.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.5 NOK 654

$15.35 BGN 26.70

352.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.32

$1.69 BGN 2.94

40.24%

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

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

60.26%

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

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

66.73%

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

$223 NOK 2,104

$156 BGN 272

43.17%

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

$33.07 NOK 311

$21.56 BGN 37.52

53.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 NOK 509

$15.24 BGN 26.51

254.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.2 NOK 548

$46.08 BGN 80.2

26.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.40 NOK 277

$27.92 BGN 48.58

5.30%

Cinema Ticket

$19.79 NOK 186

$10.18 BGN 17.72

94.40%

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

$207 NOK 1,948

$774 BGN 1,347

-73.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

23.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 NOK 959

$89.9 BGN 157

13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.5 NOK 560

$41.29 BGN 71.8

44.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$131 NOK 1,230

$105 BGN 183

24.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NOK 977

$107 BGN 186

-2.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

$783 BGN 1,362

56.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 NOK 7,973

$597 BGN 1,038

41.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

4.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

44.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-1.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

7.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

146.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

2.89

70.93%

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

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamar

$847 35.6%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 29.5% $250

Groceries & Markets

Hamar

$450 18.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 35.4% $159

Eating Out

Hamar

$390 16.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 34.6% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamar

$311 13.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 37.9% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Hamar

$178 7.5%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 13.3% $24

Getting Around

Hamar

$107 4.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 64.1% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Hamar

$98 4.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 32% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,227 in Hamar and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays 146% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $125 in Hamar vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $450 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Hamar

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

17:32 5:32 PM

18:32 6:32 PM

1 h ahead of Hamar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

33,059

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamar Sofia 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hamar
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

Hamar vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hamar and Sofia differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($2,380 vs $1,594 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 146% higher in Hamar, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,227 in Hamar versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Hamar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $125 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,380 in Hamar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Hamar. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Hamar 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 49% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.