Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hengelo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,177 in Hengelo, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Hengelo
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Hengelo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Hengelo

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,177

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,177 per month in Hengelo vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Hengelo $2,177
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,553 per month in Hengelo vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Hengelo $3,553
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $4,929 per month in Hengelo vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Hengelo $4,929
Sofia $3,361

Hengelo costs about 37% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hengelo and Sofia sit above the global median – Hengelo by 61%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.53 €20.04

$16.87 BGN 29.35

33.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 €75.2

$65.8 BGN 115

28.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.28 €11.81

$11.32 BGN 19.69

17.31%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.76

$3.43 BGN 5.98

23.03%

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

$3.68 €3.27

$2.41 BGN 4.19

52.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.85 BGN 3.22

59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.96 €5.30

$3.70 BGN 6.44

61.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$4.58 BGN 7.97

36.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-35.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.56 BGN 2.72

58.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.33 BGN 4.05

14.16%

Eggs

$4.47 €3.98

$4.36 BGN 7.59

2.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.90 €12.36

$11.76 BGN 20.47

18.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.04 €12.49

$8.83 BGN 15.37

59.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.08 €13.41

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-13.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.15 BGN 3.74

26.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.98 BGN 3.44

14.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.93 BGN 3.37

11.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-12.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.04 BGN 1.80

74.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.85 BGN 1.48

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.15 BGN 2.00

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.82 €12.30

$4.21 BGN 7.33

228.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.74 €6.00

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.15 BGN 2.01

21.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.66 €2.37

$1.85 BGN 3.23

43.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.97 €4.42

$0.87 BGN 1.51

471.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.9 €79.9

$28.53 BGN 49.65

215.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 €3.29

$1.68 BGN 2.93

119.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.59 €2.30

$0.94 BGN 1.63

175.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.04 €39.18

$15.35 BGN 26.70

186.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.69 BGN 2.94

49.11%

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

$41.7K €37.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

39.86%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

46.79%

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

$268 €238

$156 BGN 272

71.44%

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

$21.33 €18.97

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-1.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.40 €42.16

$15.24 BGN 26.51

211.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.43 €27.07

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-33.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.24 €22.45

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-9.60%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.17

$10.18 BGN 17.72

56.48%

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

$1,191 €1,059

$774 BGN 1,347

53.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,985 €7,102

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-37.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.0

$89.9 BGN 157

3.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.24 €39.35

$41.29 BGN 71.8

7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.2

$105 BGN 183

-9.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €112

$107 BGN 186

17.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,298 €1,155

$783 BGN 1,362

65.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €734

$597 BGN 1,038

38.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,394 €2,130

$1,516 BGN 2,638

57.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,919 €1,707

$1,030 BGN 1,792

86.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,259 €4,677

$4,350 BGN 7,568

20.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,427 €3,937

$3,177 BGN 5,528

39.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,630 €2,340

$1,735 BGN 3,019

51.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.2

2.89

45.33%

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

Last update for Hengelo: 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

Hengelo

$825 37.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 27.6% $228

Eating Out

Hengelo

$340 15.6%

Sofia

$255 16% 25% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hengelo

$336 15.5%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 42.6% $143

Groceries & Markets

Hengelo

$327 15%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 11% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Hengelo

$161 7.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 4.2% $6.7

Getting Around

Hengelo

$126 5.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 69.6% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Hengelo

$62 2.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 6.7% $4.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,298 in Hengelo 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 52% higher in Hengelo, 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 $85.0 in Hengelo versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $327 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hengelo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

10:05 10:05 AM

1 h ahead of Hengelo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

81,140

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hengelo Sofia 1,630 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hengelo
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

Hengelo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,177 in Hengelo, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 37% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,265 per month in Hengelo 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 12% more in Hengelo, 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 $85.0 in Hengelo 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 Hengelo at $2,177. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hengelo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $2,177 in Hengelo. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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