Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lelystad and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,716 in Lelystad, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Lelystad despite lower rent and utilities.

83

Cost of Living Index in Lelystad
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Lelystad Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Lelystad

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$1,716

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,716 per month in Lelystad vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Lelystad $1,716
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,666 per month in Lelystad vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Lelystad $2,666
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,616 per month in Lelystad vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Lelystad $3,616
Sofia $3,361

Lelystad costs about 8% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Lelystad and Sofia sit above the global median – Lelystad by 27%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.35 €19.88

$16.87 BGN 29.35

32.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.3 €75.9

$65.8 BGN 115

29.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.13 €11.68

$11.32 BGN 19.69

15.99%

Cappuccino

$4.23 €3.76

$3.43 BGN 5.98

23.32%

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

$2.61 €2.32

$2.41 BGN 4.19

8.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.85 BGN 3.22

25.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.40 €4.80

$3.70 BGN 6.44

45.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.01

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-1.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-38.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.56 BGN 2.72

3.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$2.33 BGN 4.05

4.29%

Eggs

$4.39 €3.91

$4.36 BGN 7.59

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.65 €5.91

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-43.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.17 €12.61

$8.83 BGN 15.37

60.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.69 €14.85

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-4.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$2.15 BGN 3.74

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 €2.21

$1.98 BGN 3.44

25.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-3.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.41 €3.03

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-19.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.04 BGN 1.80

60.58%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.85 BGN 1.48

104.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.15 BGN 2.00

10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-10.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.62 €8.56

$4.21 BGN 7.33

128.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.50 €5.78

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-12.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.15 BGN 2.01

15.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.85 BGN 3.23

36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 €99.0

$28.53 BGN 49.65

289.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.43

$1.68 BGN 2.93

129.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.65 €2.36

$0.94 BGN 1.63

181.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.29 €23.38

$15.35 BGN 26.70

71.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.69 BGN 2.94

27.81%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

13.20%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

46.85%

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

$245 €218

$156 BGN 272

57.16%

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

$14.38 €12.79

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-33.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.80 €29.17

$15.24 BGN 26.51

115.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.98 €37.34

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$13.57 €12.07

$10.18 BGN 17.72

33.30%

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

$2,772 €2,466

$774 BGN 1,347

258.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,022 €7,136

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-37.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$89.9 BGN 157

6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.95 €43.54

$41.29 BGN 71.8

18.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 €83.1

$105 BGN 183

-11.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$107 BGN 186

5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €600

$783 BGN 1,362

-13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$448 €399

$597 BGN 1,038

-24.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,337 €1,190

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-11.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €689

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-24.81%

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)

$2,390 €2,126

$1,735 BGN 3,019

37.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.23

2.89

11.76%

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

Last update for Lelystad: 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

Lelystad

$448 26.1%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 33.1% $148

Eating Out

Lelystad

$325 18.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 21.5% $70

Groceries & Markets

Lelystad

$295 17.2%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 1.6% $4.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lelystad

$292 17%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 34.1% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Lelystad

$158 9.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 2.3% $3.6

Getting Around

Lelystad

$128 * 7.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 70.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Lelystad

$69 4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 3.9% $2.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $674 in Lelystad 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 38% higher in Lelystad, 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 Lelystad versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Lelystad

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h ahead of Lelystad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,598

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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Between locations

Lelystad Sofia 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lelystad
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

Lelystad vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lelystad costs about 8% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,574 per month in Lelystad 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 Lelystad 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 $1,716 in Lelystad and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Lelystad at $1,716. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lelystad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $1,716 in Lelystad. 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, Lelystad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.