Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Biella

For one person, living is cheaper in Biella: $1,453 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Biella
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Biella Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Biella

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Biella

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,453 in Biella.

Sofia $1,594
Biella $1,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,249 in Biella.

Sofia $2,478
Biella $2,249

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,046 in Biella.

Sofia $3,361
Biella $3,046

Living in Sofia is roughly 10% more expensive than in Biella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Biella 8% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.91 €15.04

-0.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$67.0 €59.6

-1.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.80 €9.61

4.81%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.77 €1.57

93.79%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.92 €2.60

-17.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.31 €1.16

41.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.11 €4.54

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.48 €3.99

2.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.24 €1.10

62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.19 €1.94

-28.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.90 €2.58

-19.66%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.75 €3.34

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$14.50 €12.90

-18.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.11 €8.11

-3.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$21.04 €18.72

-17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.11 €2.77

-30.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.13 €1.90

-7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.00 €1.78

-3.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.65 €4.14

-8.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.87 €1.67

-44.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.77 €1.57

-51.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.53 €1.36

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.34 €0.30

161.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.63 €5.90

-36.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.57 €5.84

13.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.99 €1.77

-42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.65 €2.36

-30.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.01 €1.79

-56.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$38.10 €33.89

-25.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$14.72 €13.10

-88.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.70 €1.51

-44.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$28.90 €25.70

-46.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.05 €1.82

-17.56%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$35.7K €31.7K

-16.42%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.0K €31.2K

-25.37%

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

$156 BGN 272

$192 €171

-18.91%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$7.90 €7.03

172.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$26.83 €23.87

-43.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$66.3 €59.0

-30.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$24.49 €21.78

14.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.75 €7.78

16.34%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$688 €612

12.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.2K €9,087

25.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$86.9 €77.3

3.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$44.89 €39.93

-8.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$85.3 €75.9

23.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$111 €98.4

-3.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$421 €375

85.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$365 €325

63.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$687 €611

120.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$568 €505

81.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,589 €1,414

173.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$871 €775

264.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,889 €1,680

-8.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.65

-20.82%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Biella: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Biella

$365 25.1% 38.9% $232

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Biella

$320 22% 10.3% $30

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Biella

$240 16.5% 5.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Biella

$227 15.6% 17.8% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Biella

$147 10.2% 4.5% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Biella

$84 5.8% 26.1% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Biella

$69 4.8% 80.7% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $421 in Biella. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Biella pays 9% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $67.0 in Biella for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $320 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Biella

🕒 Local time

16:56 4:56 PM

15:56 3:56 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

45,740

💱 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 Biella 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Biella

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 Biella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Biella differ by about 10% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,453 including rent). Biella is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 9% lower in Biella. 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: $783 in Sofia versus $421 in Biella. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $688 in Biella. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sofia pay roughly 10% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,453 in Biella versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Biella but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Biella 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 Biella 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 Biella gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.