Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reykjavik and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
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Reykjavik Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $4,037 per month in Reykjavik vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Reykjavik $4,037
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $5,666 per month in Reykjavik vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Reykjavik $5,666
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $7,295 per month in Reykjavik vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Reykjavik $7,295
Sofia $3,324

Reykjavik costs about 154% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Reykjavik and Sofia sit above the global median – Reykjavik by 201%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.59 ISK 3,730

$17.10 BGN 29.93

78.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$136 ISK 16.5K

$66.9 BGN 117

102.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.08 ISK 3,302

$11.77 BGN 20.59

130.08%

Cappuccino

$6.72 ISK 819

$3.42 BGN 5.99

96.49%

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

$3.27 ISK 399

$2.42 BGN 4.23

35.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ISK 386

$1.86 BGN 3.26

69.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.91 ISK 1,696

$3.33 BGN 5.83

317.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.06 ISK 1,470

$4.53 BGN 7.92

166.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 248

$1.92 BGN 3.36

6.25%

White Bread (500g)

$4.32 ISK 527

$1.51 BGN 2.64

186.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.67 ISK 447

$2.21 BGN 3.88

66.06%

Eggs

$7.02 ISK 856

$4.40 BGN 7.69

59.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.01 ISK 2,684

$11.56 BGN 20.22

90.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.70 ISK 3,012

$8.79 BGN 15.38

181.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$42.66 ISK 5,202

$16.97 BGN 29.71

151.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ISK 412

$2.17 BGN 3.79

55.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.85 ISK 347

$2.04 BGN 3.57

39.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.17 ISK 387

$1.84 BGN 3.22

72.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.39 ISK 779

$4.29 BGN 7.51

48.95%

Potato (1kg)

$4.01 ISK 489

$1.03 BGN 1.80

289.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.64 ISK 200

$0.93 BGN 1.62

76.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.80 ISK 463

$1.20 BGN 2.11

216.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ISK 212

$0.92 BGN 1.62

89.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 ISK 1,682

$4.30 BGN 7.53

220.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.38 ISK 2,851

$7.33 BGN 12.83

218.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 ISK 430

$1.18 BGN 2.06

199.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 ISK 420

$1.87 BGN 3.28

84.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.77 ISK 704

$0.87 BGN 1.52

563.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

$28.14 BGN 49.24

238.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.63 ISK 808

$1.74 BGN 3.04

281.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ISK 341

$0.96 BGN 1.68

190.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.4 ISK 9,923

$15.54 BGN 27.19

423.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 ISK 257

$1.79 BGN 3.14

17.88%

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

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

69.49%

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

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

100.01%

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

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

$156 BGN 273

-43.15%

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

$31.53 ISK 3,845

$21.21 BGN 37.11

48.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

$15.64 BGN 27.37

441.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$100 ISK 12.2K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

114.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$48.20 ISK 5,877

$27.74 BGN 48.54

73.76%

Cinema Ticket

$19.87 ISK 2,424

$10.02 BGN 17.53

98.30%

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

$1,277 ISK 155.8K

$766 BGN 1,341

66.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

142.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$161 ISK 19.6K

$89.7 BGN 157

79.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.9 ISK 7,914

$40.88 BGN 71.5

58.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.3K

$106 BGN 186

72.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$254 ISK 31.0K

$105 BGN 183

142.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,499 ISK 304.8K

$796 BGN 1,393

213.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,000 ISK 243.9K

$607 BGN 1,063

229.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,452 ISK 421.0K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

120.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,742 ISK 334.4K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

158.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,001 ISK 975.7K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

83.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,249 ISK 762.1K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

92.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,691 ISK 572.0K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

169.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.89

204.84%

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

Last update for Reykjavik: 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

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 69.6% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Reykjavik

$625 15.9%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 54% $338

Eating Out

Reykjavik

$526 13.4%

Sofia

$256 16% 51.3% $270

Clothing & Footwear

Reykjavik

$298 7.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 48.5% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reykjavik

$205 5.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 5.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Reykjavik

$140 3.6%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 52.3% $73

Getting Around

Reykjavik

$139 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 72.5% $101

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,499 in Reykjavik versus $796 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 170% higher in Reykjavik, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $136 in Reykjavik versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $625 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:14 8:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

3 h ahead of Reykjavik

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

136,894 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.31 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.2 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.31 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 ISK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reykjavik Sofia 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Reykjavik
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

Reykjavik vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 154% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,055 per month in Reykjavik and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $4,037 in Reykjavik and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 154%.

Public transport costs about 238% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $4,037 in Reykjavik. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.