Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,836 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
Learn more

Siena Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,836 per month in Siena vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Siena $1,836
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Siena vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Siena $2,784
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Siena vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Siena $3,733
Sofia $3,361

Siena costs about 15% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Siena and Sofia sit above the global median – Siena by 36%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-8.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €80.9

$65.8 BGN 115

38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.05

$11.32 BGN 19.69

19.61%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.68

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-44.90%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$2.41 BGN 4.19

22.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-23.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.51

$3.70 BGN 6.44

67.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$4.58 BGN 7.97

22.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-28.22%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.56 BGN 2.72

43.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-29.61%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-7.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$11.76 BGN 20.47

15.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$8.83 BGN 15.37

35.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.18

$17.46 BGN 30.38

23.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.15 BGN 3.74

19.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.98 BGN 3.44

8.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.93 BGN 3.37

62.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-25.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.04 BGN 1.80

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$0.85 BGN 1.48

84.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.15 BGN 2.00

19.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$4.21 BGN 7.33

58.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-12.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.15 BGN 2.01

31.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.85 BGN 3.23

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.87 BGN 1.51

122.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.12

$28.53 BGN 49.65

46.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 €5.74

$1.68 BGN 2.93

283.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.94 BGN 1.63

47.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.74

$15.35 BGN 26.70

110.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.69 BGN 2.94

23.08%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-7.38%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

36.02%

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

$194 €173

$156 BGN 272

24.47%

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

$13.47 €11.98

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-37.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 €27.75

$15.24 BGN 26.51

104.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 €62.7

$46.08 BGN 80.2

52.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$10.18 BGN 17.72

11.00%

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

$576 €513

$774 BGN 1,347

-25.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €13.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

14.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.7

$89.9 BGN 157

-6.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 €32.95

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-10.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$105 BGN 183

-8.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$107 BGN 186

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,013

$783 BGN 1,362

45.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$597 BGN 1,038

21.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,516 BGN 2,638

13.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$1,030 BGN 1,792

8.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$4,350 BGN 7,568

0.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,495

$3,177 BGN 5,528

23.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,674

$1,735 BGN 3,019

8.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

2.89

13.84%

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

Last update for Siena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$725 39.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 17.7% $128

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$325 17.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 10.5% $34

Eating Out

Siena

$246 13.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 3.7% $9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$239 13%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 19.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$146 7.9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 6% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$93 5.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 28.6% $27

Getting Around

Siena

$63 3.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 39% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Siena 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 Siena, 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 $91.0 in Siena versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

16:27 4:27 PM

17:27 5:27 PM

1 h ahead of Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

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

Siena Sofia 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Siena
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

Siena vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siena costs about 15% 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 $2,754 per month in Siena 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 Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91.0 in Siena and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,836 in Siena and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 15%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Siena at $1,836. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Siena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $1,836 in Siena. 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, Siena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.