Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ijmuiden and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,569 in Ijmuiden, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

122

Cost of Living Index in Ijmuiden
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Ijmuiden Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Ijmuiden

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,569

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,569 in Ijmuiden versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Ijmuiden $2,569
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,624 in Ijmuiden versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Ijmuiden $3,624
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,679 in Ijmuiden versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Ijmuiden $4,679
Sofia $3,361

Living in Ijmuiden is roughly 61% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ijmuiden 90% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.05 €16.94

$16.87 BGN 29.35

12.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.2 €59.8

$65.8 BGN 115

2.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.25 €10.90

$11.32 BGN 19.69

8.22%

Cappuccino

$4.42 €3.93

$3.43 BGN 5.98

28.86%

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

$3.86 €3.43

$2.41 BGN 4.19

60.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 €2.75

$1.85 BGN 3.22

67.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-7.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.94 €4.39

$4.58 BGN 7.97

7.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-36.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.56 BGN 2.72

55.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.33 BGN 4.05

15.02%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.05

$4.36 BGN 7.59

4.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.86 €13.22

$11.76 BGN 20.47

26.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.72 €12.21

$8.83 BGN 15.37

55.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 €13.96

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-10.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.66 €2.37

$2.15 BGN 3.74

23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 €2.15

$1.98 BGN 3.44

21.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.93 BGN 3.37

2.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$4.24 BGN 7.37

0.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.04 BGN 1.80

84.62%

Onion (1kg)

$2.40 €2.14

$0.85 BGN 1.48

182.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 €1.18

$1.15 BGN 2.00

15.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-6.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.13 €12.57

$4.21 BGN 7.33

235.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.49 €5.78

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-13.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.15 BGN 2.01

32.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.76 €2.45

$1.85 BGN 3.23

49.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.76 €3.34

$0.87 BGN 1.51

332.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 €87.3

$28.53 BGN 49.65

243.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.18 €3.72

$1.68 BGN 2.93

148.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 €2.88

$0.94 BGN 1.63

244.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.13 €25.02

$15.35 BGN 26.70

83.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.40 €2.13

$1.69 BGN 2.94

42.01%

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

$42.0K €37.3K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

40.85%

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

$39.3K €34.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

50.21%

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

$296 €264

$156 BGN 272

89.83%

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

$17.14 €15.24

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-20.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.35 €43.90

$15.24 BGN 26.51

223.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.66 €32.61

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-20.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.71 €21.09

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-15.08%

Cinema Ticket

$15.19 €13.51

$10.18 BGN 17.72

49.21%

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

$1,252 €1,114

$774 BGN 1,347

61.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K €9,994

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-12.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 €72.1

$89.9 BGN 157

-9.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.41 €34.16

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-6.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €99.4

$105 BGN 183

6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$107 BGN 186

17.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,593 €1,417

$783 BGN 1,362

103.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,213 €1,079

$597 BGN 1,038

103.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,726 €2,425

$1,516 BGN 2,638

79.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,780 €1,583

$1,030 BGN 1,792

72.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,011 €5,346

$4,350 BGN 7,568

38.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,400 €3,914

$3,177 BGN 5,528

38.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,196 €3,732

$1,735 BGN 3,019

141.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

2.89

21.11%

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

Last update for Ijmuiden: 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

Ijmuiden

$1.2K 47.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 50.8% $616

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ijmuiden

$363 14.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 46.8% $170

Groceries & Markets

Ijmuiden

$335 13.1%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 13.4% $45

Eating Out

Ijmuiden

$297 11.6%

Sofia

$255 16% 14.2% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Ijmuiden

$160 6.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 3.7% $6

Getting Around

Ijmuiden

$133 5.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 71.2% $95

Sport & Entertainment

Ijmuiden

$67 2.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 0.9% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,593 in Ijmuiden and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ijmuiden pays 142% 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: $67.0 in Ijmuiden vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $335 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Ijmuiden

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:55 9:55 AM

10:55 10:55 AM

1 h ahead of Ijmuiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,307

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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Highest

Between locations

Ijmuiden Sofia 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Ijmuiden
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

Ijmuiden vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ijmuiden and Sofia differ by about 61% in total monthly costs ($2,569 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 142% higher in Ijmuiden, 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: $1,593 in Ijmuiden versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $67.0 in Ijmuiden. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,569 per month in Ijmuiden versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 61% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,569 in Ijmuiden, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Ijmuiden. 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, Ijmuiden 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 61% less than in Ijmuiden. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.