Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Albania

Name: Albania
Address: AL

For one person, living is cheaper in Albania: $1,190 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Albania
Learn more

Albania Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,190

/mo nomad

😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 16.2% more expensive than Albania without rent, and 33.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 24% more expensive than Albania without rent, and 31.1% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$9.85 ALL 802

73.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$43.07 ALL 3,504

55.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$8.66 ALL 704

35.91%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.09 ALL 170

63.64%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.11 ALL 171

14.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.95 ALL 77.1

95.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.79 ALL 227

19.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.57 ALL 291

26.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.17 ALL 177

-11.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.07 ALL 86.7

41.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.32 ALL 189

-4.74%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.61 ALL 294

21.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$12.31 ALL 1,002

-6.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$8.67 ALL 706

1.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$15.27 ALL 1,242

11.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.62 ALL 132

33.95%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.36 ALL 192

-13.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.73 ALL 141

6.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.71 ALL 139

150.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.01 ALL 82.5

1.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.16 ALL 94.4

-19.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.24 ALL 101

-3.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.77 ALL 62.9

19.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$4.69 ALL 381

-8.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$9.95 ALL 810

-26.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.55 ALL 126

-23.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.05 ALL 167

-8.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.51 ALL 41.20

70.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$19.23 ALL 1,565

46.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$3.62 ALL 294

-51.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$3.58 ALL 291

-73.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$18.23 ALL 1,484

-14.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.26 ALL 184

-20.80%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$34.3K ALL 2.8M

-12.54%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$31.5K ALL 2.6M

-16.24%

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

$156 BGN 273

$92.0 ALL 7,485

69.52%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$18.44 ALL 1,500

15.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$18.82 ALL 1,531

-16.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$49.88 ALL 4,058

-6.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$23.17 ALL 1,885

19.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$9.43 ALL 767

6.26%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$275 ALL 22.4K

178.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$6,342 ALL 516.0K

101.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$62.3 ALL 5,069

43.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$46.50 ALL 3,783

-12.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$111 ALL 8,991

-4.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$120 ALL 9,756

-12.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$547 ALL 44.5K

45.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$360 ALL 29.3K

68.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$948 ALL 77.1K

64.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$601 ALL 48.9K

76.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$2,774 ALL 225.7K

57.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,654 ALL 134.6K

96.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$731 ALL 59.5K

137.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.32

-45.68%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Albania: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Albania

$360 30.3% 40.8% $248

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Albania

$271 22.8% 5.6% $16

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Albania

$163 13.7% 36.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Albania

$129 10.9% 33% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Albania

$153 12.9% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Albania

$69 5.8% 2.9% $1.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Albania

$43 3.6% 12.1% $4.6

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇱 Albania

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

2,811,655

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 ALL = 1.23 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 81.36 ALL (100 ALL = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.17 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Albania 330 km

From you

Sofia
Albania

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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