Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Amarante

For one person, living is cheaper in Amarante: $1,492 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Amarante
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Amarante Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Amarante

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,492

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Amarante

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,492 in Amarante.

Sofia $1,594
Amarante $1,492

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,025 in Amarante.

Sofia $2,478
Amarante $2,025

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,558 in Amarante.

Sofia $3,361
Amarante $2,558

Living in Sofia is roughly 7% more expensive than in Amarante, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Amarante 11% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$6.29 €5.60

168.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$22.17 €19.72

196.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.38 €5.68

77.43%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.82 €0.73

318.29%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.52 €1.36

58.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.49 €1.33

24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.27 €1.13

191.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.42 €1.26

222.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.12 €0.99

80.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.68 €0.61

129.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.26 €1.12

84.92%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.99 €2.66

45.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$13.11 €11.66

-10.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$2.51 €2.23

251.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$2.96 €2.63

489.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.57 €1.40

36.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.47 €1.31

34.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.84 €1.64

4.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.53 €2.25

67.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.76 €1.57

-40.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.12 €1.88

-59.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.26 €1.12

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.09 €0.97

-18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.83 €6.07

-38.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.54 €4.04

64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.35 €1.20

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.32 €2.95

-44.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.10 €1.87

-58.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$41.35 €36.78

-31.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.19 €1.05

41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.24 €1.10

-24.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$21.12 €18.79

-27.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.14 €1.90

-21.03%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$13.3K €11.8K

124.36%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$26.4K €23.5K

-0.92%

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

$156 BGN 272

$102 €91.0

52.57%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$17.59 €15.65

22.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$43.43 €38.63

-64.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.68 €33.51

22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$15.97 €14.20

74.83%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.70 €7.74

17.01%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$454 €404

70.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,252 €5,561

104.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$66.4 €59.1

35.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$33.69 €29.97

22.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$68.3 €60.7

54.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$77.0 €68.5

38.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$903 €803

-13.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$823 €732

-27.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,347 €1,198

12.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,156 €1,029

-10.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,919 €2,596

49.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,452 €2,181

29.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,005 €894

72.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.7

-21.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Amarante: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Amarante

$823 55.2% 37.9% $226

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Amarante

$183 12.2% 37.2% $108

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Amarante

$101 6.7% 60.5% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Amarante

$163 10.9% 15.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Amarante

$110 7.4% 28.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Amarante

$55 3.7% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Amarante

$57 3.8% 48.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $903 in Amarante. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 73% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $22.00 in Amarante for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $183 per month, with Amarante cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Amarante

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

02:09 2:09 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

52,119

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Amarante 2,590 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Amarante

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 Amarante: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Amarante differ by about 7% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,492 including rent). Amarante is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 73% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $903 in Amarante. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $454 in Amarante. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,492 in Amarante versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Amarante but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Amarante the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Amarante are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Amarante gentler on the wallet – expenses run 7% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.