Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Matosinhos and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,926 in Matosinhos, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Matosinhos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

93

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
Learn more

Matosinhos Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,926

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,926 in Matosinhos versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Matosinhos $1,926
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,803 in Matosinhos versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Matosinhos $2,803
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,680 in Matosinhos versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Matosinhos $3,680
Sofia $3,361

Living in Matosinhos is roughly 21% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Matosinhos 43% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.41 €11.93

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-20.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.70 €42.43

$65.8 BGN 115

-27.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 €8.81

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-12.46%

Cappuccino

$2.69 €2.40

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-21.57%

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

$2.07 €1.84

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-14.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 €1.94

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-40.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 €2.94

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-27.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.98

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.56 BGN 2.72

7.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 €1.52

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-27.04%

Eggs

$3.36 €2.99

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-22.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.61 €10.33

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.21 €6.42

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.76

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-17.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$2.15 BGN 3.74

1.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-24.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-7.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-41.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.04 BGN 1.80

55.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.85 BGN 1.48

118.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.15 BGN 2.00

33.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.68

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.43 €5.72

$4.21 BGN 7.33

52.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-25.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 BGN 2.01

19.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.85 BGN 3.23

11.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.87 BGN 1.51

210.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.29

$28.53 BGN 49.65

54.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 €3.98

$1.68 BGN 2.93

166.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 €0.72

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-13.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.19 €12.62

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-7.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.69 BGN 2.94

26.04%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

13.01%

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

$38.1K €33.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

45.86%

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

$158 €141

$156 BGN 272

1.54%

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

$22.04 €19.60

$21.56 BGN 37.52

2.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.78 €29.15

$15.24 BGN 26.51

115.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.3 €55.4

$46.08 BGN 80.2

35.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.15 €19.70

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-20.67%

Cinema Ticket

$9.20 €8.18

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-9.63%

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

$567 €504

$774 BGN 1,347

-26.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €9,324

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-18.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$95.9 €85.3

$89.9 BGN 157

6.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.94 €32.86

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 €82.0

$105 BGN 183

-12.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 €90.4

$107 BGN 186

-4.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,160 €1,032

$783 BGN 1,362

48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$973 €866

$597 BGN 1,038

63.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,225 €1,979

$1,516 BGN 2,638

46.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,571 €1,397

$1,030 BGN 1,792

52.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,329 €3,850

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-0.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,785 €3,367

$3,177 BGN 5,528

19.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,565 €1,392

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-9.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

2.89

26.99%

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

Last update for Matosinhos: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Matosinhos

$973 50.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 38.7% $376

Groceries & Markets

Matosinhos

$248 12.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 17.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Matosinhos

$213 11.1%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 9.6% $20

Eating Out

Matosinhos

$201 10.5%

Sofia

$255 16% 26.6% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Matosinhos

$147 7.6%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 5% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Matosinhos

$81 4.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 17.6% $14

Getting Around

Matosinhos

$64 3.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 39.6% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,160 in Matosinhos and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48.00 in Matosinhos vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $248 vs $290 per month, with Matosinhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

2 h ahead of Matosinhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,586

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Matosinhos Sofia 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Matosinhos
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

Matosinhos vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and utilities. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 11% lower in Sofia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,160 in Matosinhos versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,926 per month in Matosinhos versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 55% less than in Matosinhos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,926 in Matosinhos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Matosinhos. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Matosinhos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Matosinhos 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 21% less than in Matosinhos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.