Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Keflavik and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,992 in Keflavik, rent and utilities included – about $16,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

147

Cost of Living Index in Keflavik
Learn more

Keflavik Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Keflavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$2,992

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,992 in Keflavik versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Keflavik $2,992
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,538 in Keflavik versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Keflavik $4,538
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,084 in Keflavik versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Keflavik $6,084
Sofia $3,361

Living in Keflavik is roughly 88% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Keflavik 122% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.71 ISK 2,997

$16.87 BGN 29.35

46.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$124 ISK 15.0K

$65.8 BGN 115

87.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$20.40 ISK 2,475

$11.32 BGN 19.69

80.21%

Cappuccino

$4.06 ISK 493

$3.43 BGN 5.98

18.37%

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

$3.18 ISK 386

$2.41 BGN 4.19

31.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 ISK 387

$1.85 BGN 3.22

72.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.00 ISK 970

$3.70 BGN 6.44

116.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.34 ISK 1,012

$4.58 BGN 7.97

82.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$2.02 BGN 3.51

3.96%

White Bread (500g)

$4.23 ISK 513

$1.56 BGN 2.72

171.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 ISK 307

$2.33 BGN 4.05

8.58%

Eggs

$6.32 ISK 767

$4.36 BGN 7.59

44.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.06 ISK 2,311

$11.76 BGN 20.47

62.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.38 ISK 2,958

$8.83 BGN 15.37

176.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.25 ISK 5,003

$17.46 BGN 30.38

136.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 ISK 301

$2.15 BGN 3.74

15.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.51 ISK 304

$1.98 BGN 3.44

26.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.44 ISK 296

$1.93 BGN 3.37

26.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 486

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-5.42%

Potato (1kg)

$3.20 ISK 388

$1.04 BGN 1.80

207.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 ISK 206

$0.85 BGN 1.48

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.84 ISK 465

$1.15 BGN 2.00

233.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ISK 215

$0.89 BGN 1.56

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.97 ISK 1,695

$4.21 BGN 7.33

231.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 ISK 2,012

$7.46 BGN 12.98

122.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.61 ISK 438

$1.15 BGN 2.01

213.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ISK 356

$1.85 BGN 3.23

58.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.68 ISK 446

$0.87 BGN 1.51

322.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.6 ISK 9,407

$28.53 BGN 49.65

171.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 804

$1.68 BGN 2.93

294.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 ISK 312

$0.94 BGN 1.63

174.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.2 ISK 9,727

$15.35 BGN 26.70

422.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 ISK 255

$1.69 BGN 2.94

24.26%

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

$50.1K ISK 6.1M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

68.27%

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

$54.7K ISK 6.6M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

109.23%

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

$94.8 ISK 11.5K

$156 BGN 272

-39.26%

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

$33.29 ISK 4,038

$21.56 BGN 37.52

54.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.0 ISK 10.3K

$15.24 BGN 26.51

457.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.5 ISK 9,526

$46.08 BGN 80.2

70.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$19.48 ISK 2,363

$10.18 BGN 17.72

91.36%

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

$407 ISK 49.3K

$774 BGN 1,347

-47.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

100.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$152 ISK 18.4K

$89.9 BGN 157

68.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.4 ISK 7,934

$41.29 BGN 71.8

58.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$182 ISK 22.0K

$105 BGN 183

72.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$191 ISK 23.1K

$107 BGN 186

78.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,896 ISK 230.0K

$783 BGN 1,362

142.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 ISK 161.2K

$597 BGN 1,038

122.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,516 ISK 305.1K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

65.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,061 ISK 250.0K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

100.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,752 ISK 455.0K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

116.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.89

204.84%

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

Last update for Keflavik: 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

Keflavik

$1.3K 44.4%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 55.1% $732

Groceries & Markets

Keflavik

$566 18.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 48.6% $275

Eating Out

Keflavik

$390 13%

Sofia

$255 16% 34.6% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Keflavik

$265 8.9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 41.8% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Keflavik

$213 7.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 9.5% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Keflavik

$118 3.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 43.5% $51

Getting Around

Keflavik

$112 3.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 65.7% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,896 in Keflavik and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Keflavik pays 116% 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: $124 in Keflavik vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $566 vs $290 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Keflavik

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

00:59 12:59 AM

03:59 3:59 AM

3 h ahead of Keflavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Keflavik Sofia 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Keflavik
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

Keflavik vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 88% lower than in Keflavik. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 116% higher in Keflavik, 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: $1,896 in Keflavik 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 172% less than in Keflavik. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $407 in Keflavik 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 $2,992 in Keflavik, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Keflavik. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Keflavik 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 88% less than in Keflavik. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.