Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horta and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Horta: $1,206 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Horta
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Horta Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Horta

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,206

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,206 per month in Horta vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Horta $1,206
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,787 per month in Horta vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Horta $1,787
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $2,367 per month in Horta vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Horta $2,367
Sofia $3,324

Horta is about 24% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Horta sits 10% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.13

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-53.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.09 €27.74

$66.9 BGN 117

-53.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.29 €7.40

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-29.57%

Cappuccino

$2.25 €2.01

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-34.21%

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

$1.91 €1.71

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-21.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-25.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 €2.47

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-17.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 €2.99

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-26.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 €0.96

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-44.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 €1.31

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-27.60%

Eggs

$4.37 €3.90

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-0.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.77 €9.61

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-6.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.89

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-12.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 €13.49

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-10.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-5.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-34.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.84 BGN 3.22

1.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.55

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.03 BGN 1.80

79.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.93 BGN 1.62

105.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.20 BGN 2.11

27.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.75

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-9.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 €4.77

$4.30 BGN 7.53

24.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.18 BGN 2.06

2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.87 BGN 3.28

12.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.98 €1.77

$0.87 BGN 1.52

127.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.47 €36.12

$28.14 BGN 49.24

43.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.16 €3.71

$1.74 BGN 3.04

139.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-3.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.81 €15.89

$15.54 BGN 27.19

14.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.42 €2.16

$1.79 BGN 3.14

35.20%

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

$32.9K €29.3K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

9.63%

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

$35.8K €31.9K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

35.76%

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

$121 €108

$156 BGN 273

-22.36%

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

$20.13 €17.97

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.19 €43.90

$15.64 BGN 27.37

214.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.92 €42.77

$46.76 BGN 81.8

2.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.59 €14.80

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-40.19%

Cinema Ticket

$5.00 €4.47

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-50.10%

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

$529 €472

$766 BGN 1,341

-31.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K €9,549

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-16.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 €69.1

$89.7 BGN 157

-13.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.32 €20.81

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-42.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.2 €48.39

$106 BGN 186

-48.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €93.1

$105 BGN 183

-0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$497 €444

$796 BGN 1,393

-37.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 €352

$607 BGN 1,063

-35.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 €670

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-51.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 €583

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-38.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 €2,707

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-30.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,276 €2,031

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-29.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$966 €862

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-44.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

2.89

26.99%

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

Last update for Horta: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Horta

$394 32.4%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 54.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Horta

$253 20.7%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 13.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Horta

$190 15.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 1.3% $2.4

Eating Out

Horta

$150 12.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 71.2% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Horta

$117 9.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 31.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Horta

$58 4.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 15.3% $8.9

Getting Around

Horta

$57 4.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 33.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $497 in Horta versus $796 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 80% higher in Sofia, 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 $31.00 in Horta versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $287 – making Horta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Horta

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

13:23 1:23 PM

3 h ahead of Horta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

14,334

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Horta Sofia 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Horta
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

Horta vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,206 in Horta, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,808 per month in Horta and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Horta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Horta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $529 per month in Horta and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Horta, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Horta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia 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 $1,206 in Horta to $1,589 in Sofia. 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 Horta. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.