Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hilversum and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,920 in Hilversum versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Hilversum $2,920
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,236 in Hilversum versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Hilversum $4,236
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,553 in Hilversum versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Hilversum $5,553
Sofia $3,361

Living in Hilversum is roughly 83% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hilversum 116% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$27.73 €24.67

$16.87 BGN 29.35

64.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €70.7

$65.8 BGN 115

20.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.70 €14.85

$11.32 BGN 19.69

47.53%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.82

$3.43 BGN 5.98

25.36%

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

$3.92 €3.49

$2.41 BGN 4.19

62.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.85 BGN 3.22

61.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.92

$3.70 BGN 6.44

49.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.53 €4.92

$4.58 BGN 7.97

20.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.61

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.56 BGN 2.72

51.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.47 €3.09

$2.33 BGN 4.05

48.93%

Eggs

$5.27 €4.69

$4.36 BGN 7.59

20.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.30 €12.72

$11.76 BGN 20.47

21.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.89 €12.35

$8.83 BGN 15.37

57.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.46 €14.64

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-5.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.25

$2.15 BGN 3.74

17.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.68 €2.38

$1.98 BGN 3.44

35.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.93 BGN 3.37

40.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.21 €4.63

$4.24 BGN 7.37

22.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.04 BGN 1.80

81.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.85 BGN 1.48

162.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.15 BGN 2.00

28.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.89 BGN 1.56

28.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.60 €11.21

$4.21 BGN 7.33

199.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 €6.07

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-8.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.31

$1.15 BGN 2.01

28.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.85 BGN 3.23

47.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.62 €3.22

$0.87 BGN 1.51

316.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.7

$28.53 BGN 49.65

131.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.89

$1.68 BGN 2.93

227.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.06

$0.94 BGN 1.63

265.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.12 €19.67

$15.35 BGN 26.70

44.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.69 BGN 2.94

41.42%

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

$41.8K €37.2K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

40.35%

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

$42.6K €37.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

62.92%

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

$265 €236

$156 BGN 272

69.74%

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

$28.28 €25.15

$21.56 BGN 37.52

31.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.2 €56.2

$15.24 BGN 26.51

314.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.0 €60.5

$46.08 BGN 80.2

47.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.61 €29.89

$27.92 BGN 48.58

20.38%

Cinema Ticket

$16.73 €14.88

$10.18 BGN 17.72

64.34%

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

$678 €603

$774 BGN 1,347

-12.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K €13.9K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

22.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$113 €100

$89.9 BGN 157

25.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.90 €42.60

$41.29 BGN 71.8

16.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 €80.4

$105 BGN 183

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 €126

$107 BGN 186

32.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,683 €1,497

$783 BGN 1,362

115.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,432 €1,274

$597 BGN 1,038

139.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,924 €2,601

$1,516 BGN 2,638

92.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,281 €2,029

$1,030 BGN 1,792

121.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,800 €6,049

$4,350 BGN 7,568

56.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,225 €4,648

$3,177 BGN 5,528

64.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,910 €3,478

$1,735 BGN 3,019

125.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.3

2.89

48.79%

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

Last update for Hilversum: 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

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 58.3% $835

Eating Out

Hilversum

$390 13.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 34.6% $135

Groceries & Markets

Hilversum

$360 12.3%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 19.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hilversum

$356 12.2%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 45.9% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Hilversum

$177 6.1%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 12.6% $22

Getting Around

Hilversum

$103 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 62.8% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Hilversum

$101 3.5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 34.5% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,683 in Hilversum and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 125% 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: $80.0 in Hilversum vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Hilversum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,345

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

Hilversum Sofia 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Hilversum
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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

Hilversum vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hilversum and Sofia differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($2,920 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 125% higher in Hilversum, 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: $1,683 in Hilversum versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 131% less than in Hilversum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $678 in Hilversum versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,920 in Hilversum, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. 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, Hilversum 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 83% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.