Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malmo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
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Malmo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,046 per month in Malmo vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Malmo $2,046
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $3,083 per month in Malmo vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Malmo $3,083
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $4,121 per month in Malmo vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Malmo $4,121
Sofia $3,324

Malmo costs about 29% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Malmo and Sofia sit above the global median – Malmo by 53%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 149

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-12.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.0 SEK 740

$66.9 BGN 117

10.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.18 SEK 122

$11.77 BGN 20.59

3.48%

Cappuccino

$4.83 SEK 48.23

$3.42 BGN 5.99

41.23%

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

$3.35 SEK 33.52

$2.42 BGN 4.23

38.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 SEK 26.97

$1.86 BGN 3.26

45.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 SEK 84.5

$3.33 BGN 5.83

154.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.10 SEK 90.9

$4.53 BGN 7.92

100.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.26

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-9.90%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 SEK 28.67

$1.51 BGN 2.64

90.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.32 SEK 33.22

$2.21 BGN 3.88

50.23%

Eggs

$4.11 SEK 41.10

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-6.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 127

$11.56 BGN 20.22

10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 SEK 119

$8.79 BGN 15.38

34.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 SEK 216

$16.97 BGN 29.71

27.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.99 SEK 29.93

$2.17 BGN 3.79

37.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 SEK 25.82

$2.04 BGN 3.57

26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 SEK 29.61

$1.84 BGN 3.22

60.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.15 SEK 41.43

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-3.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.66 SEK 16.62

$1.03 BGN 1.80

61.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.29

$0.93 BGN 1.62

64.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.47 SEK 24.65

$1.20 BGN 2.11

105.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 SEK 12.24

$0.92 BGN 1.62

33.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 SEK 77.1

$4.30 BGN 7.53

79.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.53 SEK 115

$7.33 BGN 12.83

57.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 SEK 20.05

$1.18 BGN 2.06

70.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 SEK 23.43

$1.87 BGN 3.28

25.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.15 SEK 31.45

$0.87 BGN 1.52

262.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.5 SEK 635

$28.14 BGN 49.24

125.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.00 SEK 59.9

$1.74 BGN 3.04

244.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.41 SEK 24.07

$0.96 BGN 1.68

151.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$49.13 SEK 491

$15.54 BGN 27.19

216.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 SEK 17.36

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-2.79%

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

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

7.65%

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

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

25.79%

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

$138 SEK 1,380

$156 BGN 273

-11.43%

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

$26.21 SEK 262

$21.21 BGN 37.11

23.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.07 SEK 361

$15.64 BGN 27.37

130.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.93 SEK 399

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-14.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.69 SEK 287

$27.74 BGN 48.54

3.42%

Cinema Ticket

$17.17 SEK 172

$10.02 BGN 17.53

71.36%

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

$167 SEK 1,666

$766 BGN 1,341

-78.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-74.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.0 SEK 979

$89.7 BGN 157

9.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 SEK 442

$40.88 BGN 71.5

8.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 SEK 1,125

$106 BGN 186

6.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 SEK 1,520

$105 BGN 183

45.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

$796 BGN 1,393

33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 SEK 8,173

$607 BGN 1,063

34.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

10.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

27.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-7.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-2.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

75.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.05

2.89

5.54%

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

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Malmo

$818 40.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 25.7% $210

Groceries & Markets

Malmo

$372 18.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 22.7% $84

Eating Out

Malmo

$298 14.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 14.2% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malmo

$200 9.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 3.8% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Malmo

$183 9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 16.1% $30

Getting Around

Malmo

$94 4.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 59.5% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Malmo

$74 3.6%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 10.1% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,063 in Malmo versus $796 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 75% higher in Malmo, 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 $74.0 in Malmo versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $372 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Malmo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Malmo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

316,588

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malmo Sofia 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Malmo
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

Malmo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 29% 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 $3,069 per month in Malmo and $2,384 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.

Kindergarten costs $167 per month in Malmo and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Malmo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $2,046 in Malmo. 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, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.