Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Palma de Mallorca and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Palma de Mallorca
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Palma de Mallorca Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Palma de Mallorca

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,239

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Palma de Mallorca $2,239
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,269 in Palma de Mallorca versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Palma de Mallorca $3,269
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,300 in Palma de Mallorca versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Palma de Mallorca $4,300
Sofia $3,324

Living in Palma de Mallorca is roughly 41% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Palma de Mallorca 67% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.64 €16.63

$17.10 BGN 29.93

9.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$66.9 BGN 117

-1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.35 €11.91

$11.77 BGN 20.59

13.42%

Cappuccino

$3.20 €2.86

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-6.43%

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

$2.70 €2.41

$2.42 BGN 4.23

11.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 €2.42

$1.86 BGN 3.26

45.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.61 €4.11

$3.33 BGN 5.83

38.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.46

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-14.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-29.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 €1.03

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 €1.45

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-26.70%

Eggs

$3.41 €3.04

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.56 €13.00

$11.56 BGN 20.22

25.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.77 €7.83

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-0.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 €14.19

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-6.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.30

$2.17 BGN 3.79

18.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 €1.74

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-4.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.87 €2.56

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-33.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 €1.73

$1.03 BGN 1.80

88.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$0.93 BGN 1.62

134.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.20 BGN 2.11

5.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 €0.58

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.13

$4.30 BGN 7.53

59.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.95

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-24.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.18 BGN 2.06

17.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 €1.71

$1.87 BGN 3.28

2.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 €2.02

$0.87 BGN 1.52

159.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.95 €36.54

$28.14 BGN 49.24

45.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.09 €4.54

$1.74 BGN 3.04

192.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.96 BGN 1.68

43.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.04 €21.45

$15.54 BGN 27.19

54.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.79 BGN 3.14

1.12%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

17.94%

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

$31.4K €28.0K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

19.02%

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

$253 €226

$156 BGN 273

62.45%

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

$23.84 €21.28

$21.21 BGN 37.11

12.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.93 €38.31

$15.64 BGN 27.37

174.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$62.0 €55.3

$46.76 BGN 81.8

32.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.84 €24.85

$27.74 BGN 48.54

0.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.77 €8.72

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-2.50%

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

$610 €544

$766 BGN 1,341

-20.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.4K €9,246

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-18.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.1 €63.5

$89.7 BGN 157

-20.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.34

$40.88 BGN 71.5

35.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €89.0

$106 BGN 186

-6.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$105 BGN 183

22.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,497 €1,336

$796 BGN 1,393

88.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 €941

$607 BGN 1,063

73.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,356 €2,103

$1,563 BGN 2,735

50.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,841 €1,643

$1,060 BGN 1,855

73.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,887 €6,146

$4,357 BGN 7,626

58.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,721 €3,321

$3,250 BGN 5,688

14.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,018 €1,801

$1,740 BGN 3,044

16.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.07

2.89

6.23%

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

Last update for Palma de Mallorca: 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

Palma de Mallorca

$1.1K 47.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 42.4% $448

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Palma de Mallorca

$320 14.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 39.8% $127

Eating Out

Palma de Mallorca

$280 12.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 8.6% $24

Groceries & Markets

Palma de Mallorca

$271 12.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 5.9% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Palma de Mallorca

$160 7.2%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 3.8% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Palma de Mallorca

$82 3.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 18.1% $15

Getting Around

Palma de Mallorca

$62 2.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 38.4% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Palma de Mallorca pays 16% 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: $66.0 in Palma de Mallorca vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $271 vs $287 per month, with Palma de Mallorca cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Palma de Mallorca

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

11:04 11:04 AM

12:04 12:04 PM

1 h ahead of Palma de Mallorca

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

423,350

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

Palma de Mallorca Sofia 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Palma de Mallorca
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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

Palma de Mallorca vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 41% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 16% higher in Palma de Mallorca, 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: $1,497 in Palma de Mallorca versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $610 in Palma de Mallorca versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Palma de Mallorca pay roughly 6% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $2,239 in Palma de Mallorca, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Palma de Mallorca. 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 Palma de Mallorca, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Palma de Mallorca 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 41% less than in Palma de Mallorca. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.