Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liege and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,080 in Liege, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Liege
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Liege Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Liege

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,080

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,080 per month in Liege vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Liege $2,080
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,045 per month in Liege vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Liege $3,045
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $4,011 per month in Liege vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Liege $4,011
Sofia $3,361

Liege costs about 30% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Liege and Sofia sit above the global median – Liege by 54%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 €15.65

$16.87 BGN 29.35

4.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.3 €79.4

$65.8 BGN 115

35.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 €10.83

$11.32 BGN 19.69

7.60%

Cappuccino

$3.53 €3.14

$3.43 BGN 5.98

2.92%

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

$3.57 €3.18

$2.41 BGN 4.19

48.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.85 BGN 3.22

38.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.72 €5.09

$3.70 BGN 6.44

54.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-4.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 €2.49

$1.56 BGN 2.72

78.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.73 €3.32

$2.33 BGN 4.05

60.09%

Eggs

$3.64 €3.24

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-16.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.94 €15.96

$11.76 BGN 20.47

52.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.89 €10.58

$8.83 BGN 15.37

34.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.32 €13.63

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-12.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.78

$2.15 BGN 3.74

45.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.98 BGN 3.44

15.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.93 BGN 3.37

54.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-29.48%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.04 BGN 1.80

127.88%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.85 BGN 1.48

136.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.15 BGN 2.00

53.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.89 BGN 1.56

24.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.08 €8.08

$4.21 BGN 7.33

115.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.01 €7.12

$7.46 BGN 12.98

7.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 €2.20

$1.15 BGN 2.01

115.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 €2.79

$1.85 BGN 3.23

69.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.87 BGN 1.51

225.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.27 €43.83

$28.53 BGN 49.65

72.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.96 €4.41

$1.68 BGN 2.93

195.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 €2.28

$0.94 BGN 1.63

172.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.82 €14.96

$15.35 BGN 26.70

9.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.69 BGN 2.94

17.75%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

17.16%

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

$33.1K €29.4K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

26.57%

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

$339 €302

$156 BGN 272

117.38%

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

$25.69 €22.85

$21.56 BGN 37.52

19.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.4 €53.7

$15.24 BGN 26.51

296.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.33 €36.76

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-10.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.45 €19.97

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-19.59%

Cinema Ticket

$13.95 €12.41

$10.18 BGN 17.72

37.03%

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

$824 €733

$774 BGN 1,347

6.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.6 €76.2

$89.9 BGN 157

-4.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 €44.82

$41.29 BGN 71.8

22.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.2

$105 BGN 183

-0.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$107 BGN 186

23.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €758

$783 BGN 1,362

8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$706 €628

$597 BGN 1,038

18.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,363 €1,212

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-10.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,040 €925

$1,030 BGN 1,792

0.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,719 €2,418

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-37.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,054 €1,827

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-35.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,747 €2,444

$1,735 BGN 3,019

58.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

2.89

26.30%

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

Last update for Liege: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Liege

$706 33.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 15.4% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liege

$425 20.5%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 54.7% $232

Groceries & Markets

Liege

$352 16.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 17.4% $61

Eating Out

Liege

$282 13.5%

Sofia

$255 16% 9.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Liege

$168 8.1%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 7.9% $13

Getting Around

Liege

$78 3.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 51% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Liege

$69 3.3%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 4% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $852 in Liege 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 58% higher in Liege, 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 $89.0 in Liege versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Liege

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

22:41 10:41 PM

23:41 11:41 PM

1 h ahead of Liege

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,013

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

Liege Sofia 1,610 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Liege
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

Liege vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,080 in Liege, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,119 per month in Liege 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 $89.0 in Liege 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 $2,080 in Liege and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Liege at $2,080. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Liege it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $2,080 in Liege. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Liege makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.