Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Airolo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $3,388 in Airolo, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
165

Cost of Living Index in Airolo
Learn more

Airolo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Airolo

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Airolo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Airolo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $3,388 in Airolo, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Airolo $3,388

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $5,161 in Airolo, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Airolo $5,161

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $6,934 in Airolo, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Airolo $6,934

Sofia is about 53% cheaper than Airolo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Airolo sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Airolo by 151%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$30.08 CHF 24.77

-43.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$122 CHF 100

-45.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$18.00 CHF 14.83

-37.11%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$6.19 CHF 5.10

-44.59%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-54.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$4.93 CHF 4.06

-62.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$8.87 CHF 7.30

-58.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$7.40 CHF 6.10

-38.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.13 CHF 1.75

-5.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.74 CHF 3.08

-58.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.66 CHF 3.02

-36.34%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$7.68 CHF 6.32

-43.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$26.26 CHF 21.63

-55.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$28.37 CHF 23.36

-68.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$40.16 CHF 33.08

-56.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.47 CHF 2.86

-38.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.97 CHF 1.62

0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.71 CHF 2.23

-28.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.75 CHF 3.92

-10.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.76 CHF 1.45

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-60.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.27 CHF 1.87

-49.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.30 CHF 1.07

-31.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$10.95 CHF 9.02

-61.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$12.99 CHF 10.70

-42.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.77 CHF 2.28

-58.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.23 CHF 2.66

-42.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$4.61 CHF 3.80

-81.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$100 CHF 82.4

-71.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$7.74 CHF 6.37

-78.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$4.59 CHF 3.78

-79.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$73.8 CHF 60.8

-79.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.26 CHF 1.86

-25.22%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$41.6K CHF 34.2K

-28.31%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$39.2K CHF 32.3K

-33.27%

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

$156 BGN 272

$282 CHF 232

-44.56%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$33.23 CHF 27.37

-35.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$55.5 CHF 45.69

-72.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$88.6 CHF 73.0

-48.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$45.27 CHF 37.29

-38.33%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$22.94 CHF 18.90

-55.62%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$2,616 CHF 2,155

-70.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$33.5K CHF 27.6K

-61.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$138 CHF 114

-34.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$59.4 CHF 48.96

-30.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$148 CHF 122

-28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$186 CHF 153

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,687 CHF 1,389

-53.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,437 CHF 1,184

-58.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,878 CHF 2,370

-47.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,427 CHF 1,999

-57.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$16.0K CHF 13.2K

-72.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-73.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.07

39.61%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Airolo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Airolo

$1.4K 42.4% 141% $841

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Airolo

$589 17.4% 103% $299

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Airolo

$469 13.8% 84% $214

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Airolo

$370 10.9% 91.9% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Airolo

$239 7.1% 54.8% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Airolo

$135 4% 102% $68

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Airolo

$149 4.4% 289% $111

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,687 in Airolo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $122 in Airolo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $589 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇭 Airolo

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,500

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Airolo 1,240 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Airolo

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

Sofia vs Airolo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Airolo costs about 113% 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 $2,391 per month in Sofia and $5,083 in Airolo. 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 $1,594 in Sofia and $3,388 in Airolo. That's a gap of about 113%.

Public transport costs about 251% 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 $1,594, than in Airolo at $3,388. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Airolo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $3,388 in Airolo. 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, Airolo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.