Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between La Chaux-de-Fonds and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 La Chaux-de-Fonds and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,965 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $4,731 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $6,498 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498
Sofia $3,361

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 86% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both La Chaux-de-Fonds and Sofia sit above the global median – La Chaux-de-Fonds by 120%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.06 CHF 19.81

$16.87 BGN 29.35

42.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.7 CHF 69.8

$65.8 BGN 115

28.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.02 CHF 14.84

$11.32 BGN 19.69

59.19%

Cappuccino

$4.67 CHF 3.85

$3.43 BGN 5.98

36.15%

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

$3.55 CHF 2.93

$2.41 BGN 4.19

47.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$1.85 BGN 3.22

142.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.26 CHF 5.98

$3.70 BGN 6.44

96.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 CHF 4.82

$4.58 BGN 7.97

27.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.18 CHF 1.79

$2.02 BGN 3.51

7.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.97 CHF 2.45

$1.56 BGN 2.72

90.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.22 CHF 2.65

$2.33 BGN 4.05

38.20%

Eggs

$7.74 CHF 6.37

$4.36 BGN 7.59

77.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.32 CHF 20.85

$11.76 BGN 20.47

115.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.73 CHF 22.01

$8.83 BGN 15.37

202.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.67 CHF 34.32

$17.46 BGN 30.38

138.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.66 CHF 3.01

$2.15 BGN 3.74

70.23%

Banana (1kg)

$2.35 CHF 1.93

$1.98 BGN 3.44

18.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.93 CHF 2.41

$1.93 BGN 3.37

51.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.50 CHF 3.70

$4.24 BGN 7.37

6.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 CHF 1.37

$1.04 BGN 1.80

59.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 CHF 1.57

$0.85 BGN 1.48

123.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.15 BGN 2.00

94.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 CHF 1.28

$0.89 BGN 1.56

75.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.96 CHF 9.03

$4.21 BGN 7.33

160.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.96 CHF 9.85

$7.46 BGN 12.98

60.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CHF 2.01

$1.15 BGN 2.01

112.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 CHF 2.47

$1.85 BGN 3.23

62.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.63 CHF 3.81

$0.87 BGN 1.51

432.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.1 CHF 80.8

$28.53 BGN 49.65

243.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 CHF 6.36

$1.68 BGN 2.93

359.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.46 CHF 3.68

$0.94 BGN 1.63

374.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.5 CHF 69.6

$15.35 BGN 26.70

450.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 CHF 1.94

$1.69 BGN 2.94

39.05%

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

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

44.04%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

51.29%

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

$291 CHF 239

$156 BGN 272

86.18%

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

$45.30 CHF 37.31

$21.56 BGN 37.52

110.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CHF 53.1

$15.24 BGN 26.51

323.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$73.2 CHF 60.3

$46.08 BGN 80.2

58.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.07 CHF 37.12

$27.92 BGN 48.58

61.43%

Cinema Ticket

$22.43 CHF 18.47

$10.18 BGN 17.72

120.33%

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

$2,924 CHF 2,408

$774 BGN 1,347

277.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

57.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 CHF 121

$89.9 BGN 157

63.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$79.1 CHF 65.1

$41.29 BGN 71.8

91.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$161 CHF 133

$105 BGN 183

53.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$107 BGN 186

84.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,463 CHF 1,205

$783 BGN 1,362

86.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,079 CHF 889

$597 BGN 1,038

80.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,904 CHF 3,215

$1,516 BGN 2,638

157.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,324 CHF 1,914

$1,030 BGN 1,792

125.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

273.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

285.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,068 CHF 4,174

$1,735 BGN 3,019

192.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.42

2.89

-16.26%

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

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: 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

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 44.7% $483

Groceries & Markets

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 49.5% $285

Monthly Utilities & Internet

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 51.8% $208

Eating Out

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 33.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 41.2% $108

Getting Around

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 73.8% $108

Sport & Entertainment

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 43.7% $52

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds 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 192% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 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 $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $575 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h ahead of La Chaux-de-Fonds

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,027

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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 CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

La Chaux-de-Fonds Sofia 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

La Chaux-de-Fonds
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

La Chaux-de-Fonds vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 86% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,447 per month in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in La Chaux-de-Fonds at $2,965. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Chaux-de-Fonds it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.