Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santiago de Compostela and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Santiago de Compostela: $1,439 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Santiago de Compostela
Learn more

Santiago de Compostela Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Santiago de Compostela

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,439

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,439 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $1,439
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,215 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $2,215
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,991 per month in Santiago de Compostela vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Santiago de Compostela $2,991
Sofia $3,361

Santiago de Compostela is about 10% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santiago de Compostela and Sofia sit above the global median – Santiago de Compostela by 7%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.22 €11.75

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-21.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 €59.1

$65.8 BGN 115

1.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 €8.19

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-18.64%

Cappuccino

$1.95 €1.74

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-43.15%

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

$2.69 €2.39

$2.41 BGN 4.19

11.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.85 BGN 3.22

17.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.10 €2.75

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-16.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.87 €3.44

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-40.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-43.35%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-36.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 €7.88

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-24.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.93

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-24.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.00 €15.12

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-2.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.04 €1.81

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-5.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.98 BGN 3.44

5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-23.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-32.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.04 BGN 1.80

88.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 €1.30

$0.85 BGN 1.48

72.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-1.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-5.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$4.21 BGN 7.33

41.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.12 €4.55

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-31.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.15 BGN 2.01

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.11

$1.85 BGN 3.23

28.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.87 BGN 1.51

36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.89 €29.25

$28.53 BGN 49.65

15.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 €4.33

$1.68 BGN 2.93

189.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.31 €1.17

$0.94 BGN 1.63

39.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.83 €16.74

$15.35 BGN 26.70

22.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.50

$1.69 BGN 2.94

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

18.78%

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

$28.8K €25.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

10.35%

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

$155 €138

$156 BGN 272

-0.59%

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

$21.74 €19.34

$21.56 BGN 37.52

0.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.64 €29.03

$15.24 BGN 26.51

114.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 €45.55

$46.08 BGN 80.2

11.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.19 €1.95

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-92.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.11 €8.99

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-0.69%

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

$331 €294

$774 BGN 1,347

-57.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,249 €7,337

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-35.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.7 €78.0

$89.9 BGN 157

-2.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.9 €55.9

$41.29 BGN 71.8

52.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$105 BGN 183

-4.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 €82.1

$107 BGN 186

-13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 €633

$783 BGN 1,362

-9.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$516 €459

$597 BGN 1,038

-13.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,047 €931

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-30.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$869 €773

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-15.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,001 €2,669

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-30.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,094 €1,863

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-34.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,870 €1,663

$1,735 BGN 3,019

7.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.96

2.89

2.42%

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

Last update for Santiago de Compostela: 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

Santiago de Compostela

$516 35.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 15.7% $81

Groceries & Markets

Santiago de Compostela

$240 16.6%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 21.3% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santiago de Compostela

$210 14.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 8% $17

Eating Out

Santiago de Compostela

$199 13.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 27.8% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Santiago de Compostela

$154 10.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 0.1% $0.1

Sport & Entertainment

Santiago de Compostela

$71 5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 7% $5

Getting Around

Santiago de Compostela

$49 3.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 21.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $712 in Santiago de Compostela versus $783 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 8% higher in Santiago de Compostela, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $240 vs $290 – making Santiago de Compostela the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Santiago de Compostela

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:32 9:32 PM

22:32 10:32 PM

1 h ahead of Santiago de Compostela

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

98,687

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

Santiago de Compostela Sofia 2,580 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Santiago de Compostela
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

Santiago de Compostela vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,159 per month in Santiago de Compostela and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 21% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Santiago de Compostela and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Santiago de Compostela, where all-in costs run around $1,439, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Santiago de Compostela it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,439 in Santiago de Compostela to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Santiago de Compostela. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.