Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bergamo

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Bergamo: $1,589 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Bergamo
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Bergamo Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Bergamo

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bergamo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,592 in Bergamo.

Sofia $1,589
Bergamo $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $2,451 in Bergamo.

Sofia $2,456
Bergamo $2,451

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $3,311 in Bergamo.

Sofia $3,324
Bergamo $3,311

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

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 19% above, Bergamo 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$15.68 €13.99

9.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$82.6 €73.8

-19.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$11.08 €9.89

6.23%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.87 €1.67

82.89%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$3.31 €2.95

-26.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.29 €1.15

44.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$5.57 €4.97

-40.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$5.57 €4.97

-18.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.42 €1.27

35.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$2.02 €1.81

-25.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.02 €2.70

-26.82%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.71 €3.31

18.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$15.27 €13.63

-24.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$11.39 €10.16

-22.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$16.13 €14.39

5.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.30 €2.05

-5.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.71 €1.52

19.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.25 €2.01

-18.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.66 €2.38

61.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.81 €1.62

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.19 €1.95

-57.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.86 €1.66

-35.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.48 €0.43

91.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.11 €6.35

-39.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$4.17 €3.72

75.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.25 €1.12

-5.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.77 €1.58

5.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.88 €1.67

-53.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$45.25 €40.38

-37.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$10.21 €9.11

-82.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.22 €1.98

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$38.74 €34.57

-59.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.09 €1.86

-14.35%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$36.8K €32.8K

-18.49%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$35.0K €31.3K

-24.74%

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

$156 BGN 273

$195 €174

-20.15%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$8.87 €7.92

139.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$27.82 €24.82

-43.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$32.67 €29.15

43.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$23.37 €20.86

18.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$11.26 €10.05

-11.01%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$569 €507

34.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$14.0K €12.5K

-8.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$74.1 €66.1

21.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$32.57 €29.06

25.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$88.0 €78.5

20.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$103 €92.0

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$751 €670

6.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$573 €511

6.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,370 €1,222

14.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$904 €807

17.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,471 €3,097

25.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,509 €2,239

29.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$2,426 €2,165

-28.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.05

-5.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bergamo: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Bergamo

$573 35.7% 5.7% $35

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Bergamo

$298 18.6% 3.6% $10

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Bergamo

$239 14.9% 6.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Bergamo

$232 14.5% 20.3% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Bergamo

$134 8.4% 12.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Bergamo

$55 3.4% 17.4% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bergamo

$74 4.6% 94.1% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $751 in Bergamo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bergamo pays 39% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $67.0 in Sofia vs $83.0 in Bergamo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $298 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Bergamo

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

120,569

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Bergamo 1,140 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bergamo

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 Bergamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

On paper, salaries run 39% lower in Bergamo. 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: $796 in Sofia versus $751 in Bergamo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 61% less than in Bergamo. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 4% higher in Bergamo. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,592 in Bergamo, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Bergamo. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia 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 Bergamo 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 – Sofia wins on affordability, Bergamo on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.