Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oslo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,443 in Oslo, rent and utilities included – about $22,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

165

Cost of Living Index in Oslo
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Oslo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Oslo

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,443

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,443 in Oslo versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Oslo $3,443
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,981 in Oslo versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Oslo $4,981
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,519 in Oslo versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Oslo $6,519
Sofia $3,324

Living in Oslo is roughly 117% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Oslo 157% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.80 NOK 199

$17.10 BGN 29.93

21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$125 NOK 1,194

$66.9 BGN 117

86.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.81 NOK 151

$11.77 BGN 20.59

34.32%

Cappuccino

$6.03 NOK 57.6

$3.42 BGN 5.99

76.32%

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

$4.41 NOK 42.10

$2.42 BGN 4.23

82.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 NOK 31.33

$1.86 BGN 3.26

76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$11.75 NOK 112

$3.33 BGN 5.83

252.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.73 NOK 122

$4.53 BGN 7.92

181.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.46 NOK 23.53

$1.92 BGN 3.36

28.13%

White Bread (500g)

$4.20 NOK 40.08

$1.51 BGN 2.64

178.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.62 NOK 44.16

$2.21 BGN 3.88

109.05%

Eggs

$5.99 NOK 57.2

$4.40 BGN 7.69

36.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.83 NOK 142

$11.56 BGN 20.22

28.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.56 NOK 149

$8.79 BGN 15.38

77.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$31.16 NOK 298

$16.97 BGN 29.71

83.62%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 NOK 32.05

$2.17 BGN 3.79

54.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.58 NOK 24.62

$2.04 BGN 3.57

26.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.52 NOK 33.63

$1.84 BGN 3.22

91.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.74 NOK 54.9

$4.29 BGN 7.51

33.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.67 NOK 25.46

$1.03 BGN 1.80

159.22%

Onion (1kg)

$2.84 NOK 27.08

$0.93 BGN 1.62

205.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.15 NOK 30.05

$1.20 BGN 2.11

162.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 NOK 23.66

$0.92 BGN 1.62

169.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$19.09 NOK 182

$4.30 BGN 7.53

343.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.58 NOK 158

$7.33 BGN 12.83

126.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 NOK 32.01

$1.18 BGN 2.06

183.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 NOK 41.31

$1.87 BGN 3.28

131.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.84 NOK 46.25

$0.87 BGN 1.52

456.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.6 NOK 789

$28.14 BGN 49.24

193.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.70 NOK 112

$1.74 BGN 3.04

572.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.85 NOK 17.68

$0.96 BGN 1.68

92.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$69.0 NOK 659

$15.54 BGN 27.19

343.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.33 NOK 22.23

$1.79 BGN 3.14

30.17%

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

$47.4K NOK 453.0K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

58.19%

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

$43.5K NOK 415.8K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

65.11%

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

$415 NOK 3,967

$156 BGN 273

166.33%

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

$33.37 NOK 319

$21.21 BGN 37.11

57.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.1 NOK 526

$15.64 BGN 27.37

252.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.7 NOK 561

$46.76 BGN 81.8

25.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.61 NOK 273

$27.74 BGN 48.54

3.14%

Cinema Ticket

$19.45 NOK 186

$10.02 BGN 17.53

94.11%

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

$233 NOK 2,229

$766 BGN 1,341

-69.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.4K NOK 147.2K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

20.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 NOK 962

$89.7 BGN 157

12.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 NOK 560

$40.88 BGN 71.5

43.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 NOK 1,276

$106 BGN 186

25.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 NOK 1,462

$105 BGN 183

46.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,021 NOK 19.3K

$796 BGN 1,393

153.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,576 NOK 15.0K

$607 BGN 1,063

159.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,054 NOK 29.2K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

95.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,346 NOK 22.4K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

121.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.8K NOK 112.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

169.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,804 NOK 65.0K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

109.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,578 NOK 43.7K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

163.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.94

2.89

70.93%

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

Last update for Oslo: 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

Oslo

$1.6K 46.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 61.5% $968

Groceries & Markets

Oslo

$514 15.1%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 44.1% $227

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oslo

$504 14.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 61.7% $311

Eating Out

Oslo

$401 11.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 36.2% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Oslo

$201 5.9%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 23.5% $47

Getting Around

Oslo

$123 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 69% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Oslo

$98 2.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 31.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,021 in Oslo and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Oslo pays 163% 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: $125 in Oslo vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $514 vs $287 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Oslo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Oslo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,098,061 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oslo Sofia 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Oslo
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

Oslo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 117% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 163% higher in Oslo, 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: $2,021 in Oslo versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $3,443 per month in Oslo versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 117% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 193% less than in Oslo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $3,443 in Oslo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Oslo. 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 Oslo, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Oslo 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 117% less than in Oslo. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.