Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Alges

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,009 in Alges, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Alges outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
98

Cost of Living Index in Alges
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Alges Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Alges

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,009

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Alges

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 Alges actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $2,009 in Alges, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Alges $2,009

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,853 in Alges, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Alges $2,853

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,697 in Alges, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Alges $3,697

Sofia is about 21% cheaper than Alges, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sofia and Alges sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Alges by 49%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$15.36 €13.66

9.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$54.7 €48.68

20.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.41 €8.37

20.30%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.64 €2.35

29.92%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.35 €2.09

2.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.25 €2.00

-17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.39 €3.01

9.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.54 €4.93

-17.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.04 €0.93

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.96 €1.75

-20.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.23 €1.98

4.48%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.42 €3.04

27.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.82 €9.63

8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.10 €6.31

24.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.95 €13.30

16.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.85 €2.54

-24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.37 €1.22

44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.78 €1.59

8.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.24 €2.00

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.56 €1.39

-33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.23 €1.98

-61.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.54 €1.37

-25.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.78 €0.69

14.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.67 €5.05

-25.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.90 €4.35

52.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.16 €1.03

-0.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.09 €2.75

-40.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.26 €2.01

-61.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$44.01 €39.15

-35.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.56 €4.06

-63.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.99 €0.88

-5.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.84 €15.87

-13.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.05 €1.83

-17.56%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.8K €30.1K

-11.82%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$38.1K €33.9K

-31.43%

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

$156 BGN 272

$137 €122

14.25%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$24.63 €21.91

-12.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$56.3 €50.1

-72.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$44.85 €39.89

2.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.11 €15.22

63.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.20 €6.40

41.39%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$597 €531

29.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$18.7K €16.6K

-31.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$76.8 €68.3

17.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$33.38 €29.69

23.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.7 €80.6

15.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$94.8 €84.3

12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,240 €1,103

-36.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,055 €938

-43.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,047 €1,821

-25.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,559 €1,386

-33.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,991 €2,660

45.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,264 €2,014

40.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,229 €1,093

41.20%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.67

-21.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Alges: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Alges

$1.1K 52.5% 76.7% $458

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Alges

$253 12.6% 13% $38

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Alges

$229 11.4% 10% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Alges

$218 10.8% 12.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Alges

$133 6.6% 13.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Alges

$59 3% 10.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Alges

$63 3.1% 63% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,240 in Alges. 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 41% higher in Sofia, 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 Sofia versus $55.0 in Alges. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $253 – making Alges the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Alges

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

15:43 3:43 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

19,327

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Alges 2,760 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Alges

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 Alges: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $2,009 in Alges – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $3,013 in Alges. 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.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $597 in Alges. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 15% cheaper in Alges – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Alges at $2,009. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alges it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Alges has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $2,009 in Alges. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alges makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.