Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bra

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Bra: $1,594 and $1,544 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Bra
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Bra Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Bra

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,544

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,544 in Bra.

Sofia $1,594
Bra $1,544

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,240 in Bra.

Sofia $2,478
Bra $2,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,936 in Bra.

Sofia $3,361
Bra $2,936

Living in Sofia is roughly 3% more expensive than in Bra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Bra 14% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$22.77 €20.25

-25.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$38.73 €34.45

69.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.94 €9.73

3.47%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.74 €1.55

97.13%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.75 €3.33

-35.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.69 €1.51

9.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.53 €4.92

-33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.53 €4.03

1.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.66 €1.48

21.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.57 €2.28

-39.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.59 €2.31

-10.04%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.25 €2.89

34.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$12.99 €11.55

-9.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$11.54 €10.27

-23.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$18.67 €16.61

-6.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.21 €1.97

-2.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.18 €1.94

-9.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.19 €1.94

-11.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.32 €2.96

27.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.71 €1.52

-39.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.69 €1.51

-49.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.10 €0.98

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.57 €0.51

56.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.56 €5.83

-35.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.99 €5.32

24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.64 €1.46

-29.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.22 €1.97

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.71 €1.52

-49.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$44.74 €39.80

-36.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$7.85 €6.98

-78.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.29 €2.03

-58.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$11.11 €9.88

38.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.08 €1.85

-18.75%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$26.4K €23.5K

12.72%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$29.8K €26.5K

-12.32%

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

$156 BGN 272

$111 €98.8

40.60%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.10 €8.98

113.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$28.41 €25.27

-46.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$79.3 €70.5

-41.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.02 €8.02

12.86%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$113 €100

585.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$18.5K €16.4K

-30.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$102 €90.6

-11.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$50.4 €44.86

-18.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$114 €102

-8.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$133 €118

-19.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$656 €584

19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$440 €391

35.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$553 €492

174.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$502 €446

105.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.1

-6.77%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Bra

$440 28.5% 26.3% $157

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Bra

$312 20.2% 7.5% $22

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Bra

$294 19.1% 15.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Bra

$150 9.7% 22.5% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Bra

$180 11.6% 16.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Bra

$97 6.3% 46.4% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bra

$71 4.6% 84.7% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $656 in Bra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $39.00 in Bra. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $312, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Bra

🕒 Local time

07:05 7:05 AM

06:05 6:05 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

30,224

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Bra 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bra

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 Bra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Bra differ by about 3% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,544 including rent). Bra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,316 in Bra to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $656 in Bra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $113 in Bra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sofia pay roughly 8% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,544 in Bra versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bra but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bra delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,544 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bra hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Bra 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 Bra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.