Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hull and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,309 in Hull, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Hull
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$2,309
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,309 in Hull versus $1,594 in Sofia.

  • Hull $2,309
  • Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,389 in Hull versus $2,478 in Sofia.

  • Hull $3,389
  • Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,468 in Hull versus $3,361 in Sofia.

  • Hull $4,468
  • Sofia $3,361

Living in Hull is roughly 45% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Hull 71% above, Sofia 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.40 £15.31
$16.87 BGN 29.35
20.92%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$82.4 £61.8
$65.8 BGN 115
25.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.03 £7.53
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-11.40%
Cappuccino
$4.62 £3.47
$3.43 BGN 5.98
34.69%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.30 £1.73
$2.41 BGN 4.19
-4.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.76 £1.32
$1.85 BGN 3.22
-4.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.38 £4.78
$3.70 BGN 6.44
72.43%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.96 £4.47
$4.58 BGN 7.97
30.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.58 £1.19
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-21.78%
White Bread (500g)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.56 BGN 2.72
5.13%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.32 £1.74
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-0.43%
Eggs
$3.98 £2.99
$4.36 BGN 7.59
-8.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.66 £7.25
$11.76 BGN 20.47
-17.86%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.06 £6.80
$8.83 BGN 15.37
2.60%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.71 £10.29
$17.46 BGN 30.38
-21.48%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 £2.29
$2.15 BGN 3.74
41.86%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 £1.23
$1.98 BGN 3.44
-17.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.84 £2.13
$1.93 BGN 3.37
47.15%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.41 £2.56
$4.24 BGN 7.37
-19.58%
Potato (1kg)
$1.62 £1.21
$1.04 BGN 1.80
55.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.45 £1.09
$0.85 BGN 1.48
70.59%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.11 £0.83
$1.15 BGN 2.00
-3.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.48 £1.11
$0.89 BGN 1.56
66.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$19.25 £14.44
$4.21 BGN 7.33
357.24%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.67 £8.01
$7.46 BGN 12.98
43.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.82 £2.12
$1.15 BGN 2.01
145.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.04 £2.28
$1.85 BGN 3.23
64.32%
🚌 Getting Around
Hull
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.40 £2.55
$0.87 BGN 1.51
290.80%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$89.6 £67.2
$28.53 BGN 49.65
213.95%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 £3.98
$1.68 BGN 2.93
215.48%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.60 £1.20
$0.94 BGN 1.63
70.21%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$23.00 £17.26
$15.35 BGN 26.70
49.84%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.87 £1.40
$1.69 BGN 2.94
10.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.6K £28.9K
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
29.48%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.5K £30.4K
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
54.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$293 £220
$156 BGN 272
87.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.01 £12.76
$21.56 BGN 37.52
-21.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$43.10 £32.33
$15.24 BGN 26.51
182.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$44.96 £33.73
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-2.43%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-
Cinema Ticket
$13.78 £10.34
$10.18 BGN 17.72
35.36%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$1,586 £1,190
$774 BGN 1,347
104.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.2K £13.7K
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
42.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.2 £62.4
$89.9 BGN 157
-7.51%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$43.53 £32.66
$41.29 BGN 71.8
5.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.4 £70.1
$105 BGN 183
-11.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$97.2 £72.9
$107 BGN 186
-8.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hull
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,233 £925
$783 BGN 1,362
57.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,018 £764
$597 BGN 1,038
70.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,060 £1,545
$1,516 BGN 2,638
35.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,674 £1,255
$1,030 BGN 1,792
62.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,251 £3,940
$4,350 BGN 7,568
20.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,929 £2,947
$3,177 BGN 5,528
23.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hull
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.63
2.89
94.81%

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

Last update for Hull: 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
Hull
$1K
Sofia
$597 41.4% $422
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hull
$353
Sofia
$193 45.3% $160
Eating Out
Hull
$309
Sofia
$255 17.5% $54
Groceries & Markets
Hull
$298
Sofia
$290 2.4% $7.3
Clothing & Footwear
Hull
$143
Sofia
$154 8.1% $12
Getting Around
Hull
$116
Sofia
$38 67% $78
Sport & Entertainment
Hull
$73
Sofia
$66 8.4% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,233 in Hull and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Hull vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $298 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 Hull
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
10:32 10:32 AM
12:32 12:32 PM
2 h ahead of Hull
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
260,700
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hull Sofia 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Hull
  • 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
Hull vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Hull and in Sofia?
Hull and Sofia differ by about 45% in total monthly costs ($2,309 vs $1,594 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in Hull compared to Sofia?
You'd need roughly $3,464 in Hull and $2,391 in Sofia to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How do apartment prices compare in Hull and in Sofia?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,233 in Hull versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Hull and in Sofia?
A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 214% less than in Hull. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Hull and Sofia?
Childcare runs $1,586 in Hull versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,309 in Hull, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Hull. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Hull and Sofia?
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.
Is Hull or Sofia safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Hull 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.
Where should expats move: Hull or Sofia?
Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Hull. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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