Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haugesund and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,654 in Haugesund, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Haugesund
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Haugesund Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Haugesund

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,654

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,654 per month in Haugesund vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Haugesund $2,654
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,956 per month in Haugesund vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Haugesund $3,956
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $5,259 per month in Haugesund vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Haugesund $5,259
Sofia $3,361

Haugesund costs about 66% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Haugesund and Sofia sit above the global median – Haugesund by 97%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.97 NOK 207

$16.87 BGN 29.35

30.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$105 NOK 987

$65.8 BGN 115

59.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.38 NOK 135

$11.32 BGN 19.69

27.03%

Cappuccino

$4.59 NOK 43.19

$3.43 BGN 5.98

33.82%

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

$5.08 NOK 47.78

$2.41 BGN 4.19

110.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 NOK 37.48

$1.85 BGN 3.22

115.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.63 NOK 109

$3.70 BGN 6.44

214.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.31 NOK 97.0

$4.58 BGN 7.97

125.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 NOK 20.52

$2.02 BGN 3.51

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 NOK 35.73

$1.56 BGN 2.72

143.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.50 NOK 32.92

$2.33 BGN 4.05

50.21%

Eggs

$4.79 NOK 45.06

$4.36 BGN 7.59

9.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 NOK 111

$11.76 BGN 20.47

0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.02 NOK 141

$8.83 BGN 15.37

70.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$33.81 NOK 318

$17.46 BGN 30.38

93.64%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 NOK 29.02

$2.15 BGN 3.74

43.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 NOK 20.00

$1.98 BGN 3.44

7.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.44 NOK 32.37

$1.93 BGN 3.37

78.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.21 NOK 39.58

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-0.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.42 NOK 22.77

$1.04 BGN 1.80

132.69%

Onion (1kg)

$3.32 NOK 31.23

$0.85 BGN 1.48

290.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 NOK 28.20

$1.15 BGN 2.00

160.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 NOK 17.26

$0.89 BGN 1.56

105.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.21 NOK 162

$4.21 BGN 7.33

308.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.47 NOK 136

$7.46 BGN 12.98

93.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.58 NOK 33.70

$1.15 BGN 2.01

211.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 NOK 39.17

$1.85 BGN 3.23

124.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.56 NOK 33.51

$0.87 BGN 1.51

309.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.4 NOK 635

$28.53 BGN 49.65

136.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 NOK 115

$1.68 BGN 2.93

625.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 NOK 16.81

$0.94 BGN 1.63

90.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.2 NOK 529

$15.35 BGN 26.70

265.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.45 NOK 23.03

$1.69 BGN 2.94

44.97%

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

$44.3K NOK 417.0K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

48.65%

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

$43.5K NOK 409.6K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

66.48%

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

$275 NOK 2,591

$156 BGN 272

76.36%

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

$32.80 NOK 309

$21.56 BGN 37.52

52.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.8 NOK 525

$15.24 BGN 26.51

266.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.71 NOK 468

$46.08 BGN 80.2

7.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.17 NOK 341

$27.92 BGN 48.58

29.55%

Cinema Ticket

$16.92 NOK 159

$10.18 BGN 17.72

66.21%

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

$241 NOK 2,269

$774 BGN 1,347

-68.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,918 NOK 27.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-77.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.4 NOK 917

$89.9 BGN 157

8.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.6 NOK 504

$41.29 BGN 71.8

29.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.1 NOK 820

$105 BGN 183

-17.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$155 NOK 1,463

$107 BGN 186

45.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 NOK 14.8K

$783 BGN 1,362

101.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,067 NOK 10.0K

$597 BGN 1,038

78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,099 NOK 19.8K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

38.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,668 NOK 15.7K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

61.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,302 NOK 59.3K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

44.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,637 NOK 43.6K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

45.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,952 NOK 37.2K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

127.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.2

2.89

79.93%

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

Last update for Haugesund: 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

Haugesund

$1.1K 40.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 44% $470

Groceries & Markets

Haugesund

$471 17.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 38.3% $180

Eating Out

Haugesund

$389 14.7%

Sofia

$255 16% 34.5% $134

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haugesund

$364 13.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 47% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Haugesund

$177 6.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 12.8% $23

Getting Around

Haugesund

$103 3.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 62.7% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Haugesund

$84 3.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 20.5% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,576 in Haugesund 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 128% higher in Haugesund, 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 $105 in Haugesund versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $471 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Haugesund

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h ahead of Haugesund

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,362

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

Haugesund Sofia 2,230 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Haugesund
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

Haugesund vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haugesund costs about 66% 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 $3,981 per month in Haugesund 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.

Groceries cost about 62% more in Haugesund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $105 in Haugesund and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Haugesund at $2,654. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Haugesund it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $2,654 in Haugesund. 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, Haugesund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.