Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nijmegen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,499 in Nijmegen, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

121

Cost of Living Index in Nijmegen
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Nijmegen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Nijmegen

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,499

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,499 in Nijmegen versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Nijmegen $2,499
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,718 in Nijmegen versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Nijmegen $3,718
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,937 in Nijmegen versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Nijmegen $4,937
Sofia $3,324

Living in Nijmegen is roughly 57% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Nijmegen 87% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.34 €22.61

$17.10 BGN 29.93

48.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.7 €83.6

$66.9 BGN 117

39.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.41 €11.97

$11.77 BGN 20.59

13.93%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.72

$3.42 BGN 5.99

21.93%

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

$3.95 €3.53

$2.42 BGN 4.23

63.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.86 BGN 3.26

41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.68 €5.07

$3.33 BGN 5.83

70.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$4.53 BGN 7.92

25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-25.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.51 BGN 2.64

31.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$2.21 BGN 3.88

6.33%

Eggs

$5.39 €4.81

$4.40 BGN 7.69

22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.98 €11.59

$11.56 BGN 20.22

12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.59 €13.02

$8.79 BGN 15.38

65.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.50 €13.84

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-8.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 €2.47

$2.17 BGN 3.79

27.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$2.04 BGN 3.57

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.84 BGN 3.22

6.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.42 €4.84

$4.29 BGN 7.51

26.34%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.03 BGN 1.80

96.12%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.93 BGN 1.62

153.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.20 BGN 2.11

6.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 €0.68

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.76

$4.30 BGN 7.53

232.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.26 €6.48

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 €1.34

$1.18 BGN 2.06

27.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.24

$1.87 BGN 3.28

34.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.47 €3.10

$0.87 BGN 1.52

298.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$142 €127

$28.14 BGN 49.24

406.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.12 €3.68

$1.74 BGN 3.04

136.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.10 €2.76

$0.96 BGN 1.68

222.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$44.09 €39.35

$15.54 BGN 27.19

183.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.79 BGN 3.14

31.28%

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

$40.7K €36.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

35.86%

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

$38.5K €34.3K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

45.98%

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

$282 €252

$156 BGN 273

80.96%

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

$23.08 €20.60

$21.21 BGN 37.11

8.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.32 €36.87

$15.64 BGN 27.37

164.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.36 €27.09

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-35.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.10 €22.40

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-9.52%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.85

$10.02 BGN 17.53

54.89%

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

$2,788 €2,488

$766 BGN 1,341

263.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K €15.3K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

34.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.5 €87.9

$89.7 BGN 157

9.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.80 €39.09

$40.88 BGN 71.5

7.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €94.1

$106 BGN 186

-0.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$172 €153

$105 BGN 183

63.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 €1,338

$796 BGN 1,393

88.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,034 €923

$607 BGN 1,063

70.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,367 €2,113

$1,563 BGN 2,735

51.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,483

$1,060 BGN 1,855

56.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,492 €4,901

$4,357 BGN 7,626

26.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,242 €3,785

$3,250 BGN 5,688

30.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,457 €3,085

$1,740 BGN 3,044

98.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

38.41%

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

Last update for Nijmegen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nijmegen

$1K 41.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 41.3% $426

Eating Out

Nijmegen

$359 14.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 28.7% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nijmegen

$347 13.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 44.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Nijmegen

$339 13.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 15.2% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Nijmegen

$189 7.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 18.6% $35

Getting Around

Nijmegen

$176 7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 78.3% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Nijmegen

$61 2.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 8.8% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,499 in Nijmegen and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Nijmegen pays 99% 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: $94.0 in Nijmegen vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $339 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇱 Nijmegen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

06:49 6:49 AM

07:49 7:49 AM

1 h ahead of Nijmegen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

177,359

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

Nijmegen Sofia 1,660 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Nijmegen
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

Nijmegen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 57% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 99% higher in Nijmegen, 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: $1,499 in Nijmegen versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $94.0 in Nijmegen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,499 per month in Nijmegen versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 57% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,499 in Nijmegen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Nijmegen. 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 Nijmegen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Nijmegen 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 57% less than in Nijmegen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.