Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madrid and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,311 in Madrid, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

112

Cost of Living Index in Madrid
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Madrid Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Madrid

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,311

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,311 in Madrid versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Madrid $2,311
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,324 in Madrid versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Madrid $3,324
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,337 in Madrid versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Madrid $4,337
Sofia $3,324

Living in Madrid is roughly 45% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Madrid 72% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.11 €16.14

$17.10 BGN 29.93

5.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 €60.4

$66.9 BGN 117

1.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.16 €9.95

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-5.18%

Cappuccino

$3.10 €2.76

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-9.36%

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

$3.25 €2.90

$2.42 BGN 4.23

34.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.86 BGN 3.26

20.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.45

$3.33 BGN 5.83

16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 €4.44

$4.53 BGN 7.92

9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-25.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.51 BGN 2.64

5.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-23.98%

Eggs

$4.24 €3.78

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-3.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.07 €15.22

$11.56 BGN 20.22

47.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.08 €8.10

$8.79 BGN 15.38

3.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.61 €15.70

$16.97 BGN 29.71

3.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$2.17 BGN 3.79

16.13%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.95

$2.04 BGN 3.57

6.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.84 BGN 3.22

40.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-41.03%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.03 BGN 1.80

114.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.93 BGN 1.62

134.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.20 BGN 2.11

30.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.92 BGN 1.62

14.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.93

$4.30 BGN 7.53

54.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.94

$7.33 BGN 12.83

6.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.87 BGN 3.28

20.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.14 €33.11

$28.14 BGN 49.24

31.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 €3.33

$1.74 BGN 3.04

114.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.33

$0.96 BGN 1.68

55.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.16 €26.89

$15.54 BGN 27.19

94.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.79 BGN 3.14

2.79%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

16.18%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

26.50%

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

$185 €165

$156 BGN 273

18.87%

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

$18.51 €16.50

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-12.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.78 €31.01

$15.64 BGN 27.37

122.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.99 €44.57

$46.76 BGN 81.8

6.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.11 €16.14

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-34.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.24 €10.03

$10.02 BGN 17.53

12.18%

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

$666 €594

$766 BGN 1,341

-13.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.1K €16.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

41.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.5 €76.3

$89.7 BGN 157

-4.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.61 €38.88

$40.88 BGN 71.5

6.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €96.8

$106 BGN 186

2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 €99.6

$105 BGN 183

6.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,524 €1,359

$796 BGN 1,393

91.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,063

$607 BGN 1,063

96.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,708 €2,414

$1,563 BGN 2,735

73.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,799 €1,604

$1,060 BGN 1,855

69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,164 €8,171

$4,357 BGN 7,626

110.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,169 €3,717

$3,250 BGN 5,688

28.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,478 €2,209

$1,740 BGN 3,044

42.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.08

2.89

6.57%

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

Last update for Madrid: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Madrid

$1.2K 52.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 49.1% $585

Groceries & Markets

Madrid

$308 13.4%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 6.7% $20

Eating Out

Madrid

$267 11.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madrid

$239 10.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 19.2% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Madrid

$157 6.9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 2.3% $3.7

Sport & Entertainment

Madrid

$72 3.2%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 7.9% $5.7

Getting Around

Madrid

$55 2.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 30.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,524 in Madrid and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Madrid pays 42% 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: $68.0 in Madrid vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $308 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Madrid

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h ahead of Madrid

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,332,035 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Madrid Sofia 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Madrid
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

Madrid vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Madrid. 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 42% higher in Madrid, 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: $1,524 in Madrid versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Madrid. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $68.0 in Madrid. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,311 in Madrid, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Madrid. 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 $1,589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Madrid 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 45% less than in Madrid. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.