Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Karlskrona and in Sofia: $1,617 and $1,594 a month, rent and utilities included.

Karlskrona
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,617
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,617 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $1,617
  • Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,525 per month in Karlskrona vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $2,525
  • Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,434 per month in Karlskrona vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Karlskrona $3,434
  • Sofia $3,361

Karlskrona costs about 1% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Karlskrona and Sofia sit above the global median – Karlskrona by 20%, Sofia by 18%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.71 SEK 126
$16.87 BGN 29.35
-24.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$63.9 SEK 633
$65.8 BGN 115
-2.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 SEK 87.1
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-22.35%
Cappuccino
$3.96 SEK 39.23
$3.43 BGN 5.98
15.45%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 SEK 12.90
$2.41 BGN 4.19
-46.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.19 SEK 21.71
$1.85 BGN 3.22
18.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$7.04 SEK 69.8
$3.70 BGN 6.44
90.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.09 SEK 50.5
$4.58 BGN 7.97
11.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 SEK 14.36
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-28.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.78 SEK 27.50
$1.56 BGN 2.72
78.21%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.60 SEK 35.72
$2.33 BGN 4.05
54.51%
Eggs
$4.38 SEK 43.41
$4.36 BGN 7.59
0.46%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.82 SEK 107
$11.76 BGN 20.47
-7.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$13.33 SEK 132
$8.83 BGN 15.37
50.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.14 SEK 170
$17.46 BGN 30.38
-1.83%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 SEK 29.52
$2.15 BGN 3.74
38.60%
Banana (1kg)
$2.43 SEK 24.06
$1.98 BGN 3.44
22.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.97 SEK 29.43
$1.93 BGN 3.37
53.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.41 SEK 43.65
$4.24 BGN 7.37
4.01%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 SEK 14.59
$1.04 BGN 1.80
41.35%
Onion (1kg)
$1.53 SEK 15.20
$0.85 BGN 1.48
80.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.10 SEK 20.82
$1.15 BGN 2.00
82.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.36 SEK 13.43
$0.89 BGN 1.56
52.81%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.19 SEK 71.2
$4.21 BGN 7.33
70.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.29 SEK 122
$7.46 BGN 12.98
64.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.99 SEK 19.74
$1.15 BGN 2.01
73.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 SEK 16.77
$1.85 BGN 3.23
-8.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$2.92 SEK 28.94
$0.87 BGN 1.51
235.63%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$69.8 SEK 691
$28.53 BGN 49.65
144.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$12.92 SEK 128
$1.68 BGN 2.93
669.05%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.02 SEK 20.00
$0.94 BGN 1.63
114.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$80.5 SEK 798
$15.35 BGN 26.70
424.69%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 SEK 17.18
$1.69 BGN 2.94
2.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$33.4K SEK 330.6K
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
11.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.8K SEK 324.7K
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
25.40%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$51.5 SEK 510
$156 BGN 272
-67.04%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.15 SEK 269
$21.56 BGN 37.52
25.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$37.02 SEK 367
$15.24 BGN 26.51
142.91%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.67 SEK 413
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-9.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.12 SEK 160
$10.18 BGN 17.72
58.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$159 SEK 1,572
$774 BGN 1,347
-79.51%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$98.3 SEK 973
$89.9 BGN 157
9.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.03 SEK 198
$41.29 BGN 71.8
-51.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$79.0 SEK 783
$105 BGN 183
-24.85%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$171 SEK 1,698
$107 BGN 186
60.56%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$664 SEK 6,583
$783 BGN 1,362
-15.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$564 SEK 5,585
$597 BGN 1,038
-5.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,078 SEK 10.7K
$1,516 BGN 2,638
-28.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$946 SEK 9,373
$1,030 BGN 1,792
-8.16%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,898 SEK 28.7K
$4,350 BGN 7,568
-33.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,466 SEK 24.4K
$3,177 BGN 5,528
-22.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Karlskrona
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,479 SEK 24.6K
$1,735 BGN 3,019
42.87%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.22
2.89
46.02%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: 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
Karlskrona
$564
Sofia
$597 5.9% $33
Groceries & Markets
Karlskrona
$358
Sofia
$290 18.9% $68
Eating Out
Karlskrona
$235
Sofia
$255 8.4% $20
Clothing & Footwear
Karlskrona
$166
Sofia
$154 6.9% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Karlskrona
$116
Sofia
$193 66.8% $77
Getting Around
Karlskrona
$104
Sofia
$38 63.3% $66
Sport & Entertainment
Karlskrona
$74
Sofia
$66 10.1% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $664 in Karlskrona 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 43% higher in Karlskrona, 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 $64.0 in Karlskrona versus $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $358 in Karlskrona vs $290 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇸🇪 Karlskrona
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
04:51 4:51 AM
05:51 5:51 AM
1 h ahead of Karlskrona
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,212
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 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
  • Karlskrona Sofia 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Karlskrona
  • 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
Karlskrona vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sofia cheaper than Karlskrona?
Yes – Karlskrona is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,425 per month in Karlskrona and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
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.
Is eating out cheaper in Karlskrona or in Sofia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Karlskrona and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Karlskrona and in Sofia?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,617 in Karlskrona and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 1%.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Karlskrona or in Sofia?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Karlskrona at $1,617. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlskrona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Karlskrona or Sofia more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Karlskrona or Sofia?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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