Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sintra and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Sintra and in Sofia: $1,592 and $1,594 a month, rent and utilities included.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Sintra $1,592
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,317 in Sintra versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Sintra $2,317
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,041 in Sintra versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Sintra $3,041
Sofia $3,361

Monthly costs are close between Sintra and Sofia; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sintra 18% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.05 €11.61

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-22.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.4 €49.24

$65.8 BGN 115

-15.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.84 €7.87

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-21.91%

Cappuccino

$1.28 €1.14

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-62.68%

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

$1.54 €1.37

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-36.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-34.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.25 €2.89

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-12.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-40.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.95

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-47.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-19.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-43.35%

Eggs

$2.60 €2.31

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-40.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 €8.13

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-22.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.91 €6.15

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-21.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 €9.85

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-36.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 €1.62

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-14.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-38.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 €1.19

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.00

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.04 BGN 1.80

20.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.85 BGN 1.48

91.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.15 BGN 2.00

38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 €0.56

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-29.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.25 €5.56

$4.21 BGN 7.33

48.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.28 €2.92

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-56.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.15 BGN 2.01

11.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-24.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.19 €1.94

$0.87 BGN 1.51

151.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.11

$28.53 BGN 49.65

46.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.66 €3.26

$1.68 BGN 2.93

117.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 €0.44

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-46.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.24 €14.45

$15.35 BGN 26.70

5.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.69 BGN 2.94

22.49%

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

$34.2K €30.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

14.65%

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

$38.2K €33.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

46.00%

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

$129 €115

$156 BGN 272

-17.47%

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

$21.92 €19.50

$21.56 BGN 37.52

1.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.30 €40.30

$15.24 BGN 26.51

197.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.17 €36.62

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-10.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.52 €13.81

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-44.41%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 €7.91

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-12.67%

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

$604 €538

$774 BGN 1,347

-21.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,207 €5,522

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-51.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 €66.3

$89.9 BGN 157

-17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.04 €40.07

$41.29 BGN 71.8

9.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.1

$105 BGN 183

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.27 €43.82

$107 BGN 186

-53.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$977 €869

$783 BGN 1,362

24.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$774 €688

$597 BGN 1,038

29.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,551 €1,379

$1,516 BGN 2,638

2.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,173 €1,043

$1,030 BGN 1,792

13.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,033 €2,698

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-30.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,236 €1,989

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-29.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,347 €1,198

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-22.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

2.89

22.49%

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

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sintra

$774 48.6%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 22.8% $177

Groceries & Markets

Sintra

$204 12.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 42.5% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sintra

$196 12.3%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 1.6% $3.2

Eating Out

Sintra

$179 11.2%

Sofia

$255 16% 42.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sintra

$125 7.8%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 23.9% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sintra

$59 3.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 12.7% $7.5

Getting Around

Sintra

$57 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 32.2% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $977 in Sintra and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $55.0 in Sintra vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $204 vs $290 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Sintra

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

16:14 4:14 PM

2 h ahead of Sintra

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

385,654

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

Sintra Sofia 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sintra
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

Sintra vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 29% lower in Sofia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $977 in Sintra versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sintra runs roughly 46% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sintra but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Sintra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sintra is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sintra 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.

It comes down to priorities – Sintra wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.