Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Milan and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,531 in Milan, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Milan
Learn more

Milan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Milan

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,531

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,531 in Milan versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Milan $2,531
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,874 in Milan versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Milan $3,874
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,216 in Milan versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Milan $5,216
Sofia $3,324

Living in Milan is roughly 59% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Milan 89% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.18

$17.10 BGN 29.93

32.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.2 €78.7

$66.9 BGN 117

31.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.34 €11.91

$11.77 BGN 20.59

13.34%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-36.84%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$2.42 BGN 4.23

51.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-2.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 €6.12

$3.33 BGN 5.83

105.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.76 €6.03

$4.53 BGN 7.92

49.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 €1.52

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-10.94%

White Bread (500g)

$3.28 €2.92

$1.51 BGN 2.64

117.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 €3.27

$2.21 BGN 3.88

66.06%

Eggs

$4.93 €4.40

$4.40 BGN 7.69

12.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.72 €20.27

$11.56 BGN 20.22

96.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.25 €12.72

$8.79 BGN 15.38

62.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.58 €20.15

$16.97 BGN 29.71

33.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.17 BGN 3.79

37.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.04 BGN 3.57

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.37 €3.00

$1.84 BGN 3.22

83.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.20 €3.75

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-2.10%

Potato (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$1.03 BGN 1.80

124.27%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 €1.86

$0.93 BGN 1.62

123.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.20 BGN 2.11

43.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-38.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.52

$4.30 BGN 7.53

70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.79 €8.74

$7.33 BGN 12.83

33.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.18 BGN 2.06

72.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.87 BGN 3.28

32.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 €2.19

$0.87 BGN 1.52

182.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.94 €39.21

$28.14 BGN 49.24

56.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.80 €6.96

$1.74 BGN 3.04

348.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.03

$0.96 BGN 1.68

136.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$64.7 €57.8

$15.54 BGN 27.19

316.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.95

$1.79 BGN 3.14

21.79%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

19.96%

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

$35.8K €32.0K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

35.81%

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

$252 €225

$156 BGN 273

61.67%

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

$10.22 €9.12

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-51.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.41 €26.24

$15.64 BGN 27.37

88.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.6 €76.4

$46.76 BGN 81.8

83.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.45 €30.74

$27.74 BGN 48.54

24.19%

Cinema Ticket

$12.14 €10.84

$10.02 BGN 17.53

21.16%

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

$837 €747

$766 BGN 1,341

9.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.1K €17.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

49.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.6

$89.7 BGN 157

13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.73 €44.38

$40.88 BGN 71.5

21.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$106 BGN 186

10.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$166 €148

$105 BGN 183

58.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 €1,531

$796 BGN 1,393

115.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,158 €1,034

$607 BGN 1,063

90.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,413 €3,045

$1,563 BGN 2,735

118.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 €1,844

$1,060 BGN 1,855

94.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.6K €9,479

$4,357 BGN 7,626

143.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,004 €4,466

$3,250 BGN 5,688

53.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,190 €1,954

$1,740 BGN 3,044

25.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

2.89

10.03%

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

Last update for Milan: 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

Milan

$1.2K 45.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 47.6% $551

Groceries & Markets

Milan

$415 16.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 30.7% $128

Eating Out

Milan

$317 12.4%

Sofia

$256 16% 19.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Milan

$292 11.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 33.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Milan

$195 7.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 21.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Milan

$110 4.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 39.2% $43

Getting Around

Milan

$73 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 47.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,715 in Milan and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Milan pays 26% 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: $88.0 in Milan vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $415 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Milan

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Milan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,394,798

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Milan Sofia 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Milan
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

Milan vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 59% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 26% higher in Milan, 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: $1,715 in Milan versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $837 in Milan versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 44% higher in Milan. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,531 in Milan, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Milan. 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 Milan, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Milan 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 59% less than in Milan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.