Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Sebastian and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,948 in San Sebastian versus $1,594 in Sofia.

San Sebastian $1,948
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,889 in San Sebastian versus $2,478 in Sofia.

San Sebastian $2,889
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,830 in San Sebastian versus $3,361 in Sofia.

San Sebastian $3,830
Sofia $3,361

Living in San Sebastian is roughly 22% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: San Sebastian 44% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.90

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 €53.9

$65.8 BGN 115

-7.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.58 €9.41

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-6.54%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.85

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-39.36%

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

$2.87 €2.55

$2.41 BGN 4.19

19.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-12.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-7.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.62 €3.22

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-20.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 €1.01

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-32.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-24.89%

Eggs

$3.72 €3.31

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.34 €19.87

$11.76 BGN 20.47

89.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.17 €7.27

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-7.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.10 €18.77

$17.46 BGN 30.38

20.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.15 BGN 3.74

16.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.98 BGN 3.44

19.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$1.93 BGN 3.37

73.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-31.60%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.04 BGN 1.80

98.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.85 BGN 1.48

132.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.15 BGN 2.00

2.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.54

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-31.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.07 €5.40

$4.21 BGN 7.33

44.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 €6.58

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-0.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.11 €1.88

$0.87 BGN 1.51

142.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.85 €30.11

$28.53 BGN 49.65

18.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.57 €5.85

$1.68 BGN 2.93

291.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 €0.81

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-3.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.70 €20.19

$15.35 BGN 26.70

47.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.69 BGN 2.94

0.59%

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

$36.2K €32.2K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

21.45%

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

$28.7K €25.5K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

9.85%

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

$136 €121

$156 BGN 272

-12.62%

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

$20.40 €18.15

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-5.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.36 €31.45

$15.24 BGN 26.51

132.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.41 €37.73

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-7.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.95 €17.75

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-28.55%

Cinema Ticket

$8.44 €7.50

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-17.09%

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

$453 €403

$774 BGN 1,347

-41.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.7K €12.2K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

7.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.5 €64.5

$89.9 BGN 157

-19.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.46 €27.99

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.7 €66.5

$105 BGN 183

-28.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 €119

$107 BGN 186

25.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,407 €1,252

$783 BGN 1,362

79.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$954 €849

$597 BGN 1,038

59.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,239 €1,992

$1,516 BGN 2,638

47.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,354

$1,030 BGN 1,792

47.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,603 €8,541

$4,350 BGN 7,568

120.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,748 €4,223

$3,177 BGN 5,528

49.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,027 €2,693

$1,735 BGN 3,019

74.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.92

2.89

1.04%

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

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Sebastian

$954 49%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 37.5% $357

Groceries & Markets

San Sebastian

$316 16.2%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 7.9% $25

Eating Out

San Sebastian

$233 12%

Sofia

$255 16% 9.3% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Sebastian

$192 9.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 0.4% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

San Sebastian

$141 7.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 9.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

San Sebastian

$59 3%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 12.1% $7.2

Getting Around

San Sebastian

$53 2.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 28.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,407 in San Sebastian and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 74% 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: $61.0 in San Sebastian vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $316 vs $290, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:28 9:28 PM

22:28 10:28 PM

1 h ahead of San Sebastian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,743

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Sebastian Sofia 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

San Sebastian
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

San Sebastian vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in San Sebastian. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% higher in San Sebastian, 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: $1,407 in San Sebastian versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in San Sebastian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $61.0 in San Sebastian. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,948 in San Sebastian, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in San Sebastian. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, San Sebastian 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 22% less than in San Sebastian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.