Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Caldas da Rainha

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Caldas da Rainha: $1,589 and $1,532 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
75

Cost of Living Index in Caldas da Rainha
Learn more

Caldas da Rainha Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Caldas da Rainha

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Caldas da Rainha $1,532

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,352 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Caldas da Rainha $2,352

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $3,172 in Caldas da Rainha, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Caldas da Rainha $3,172

Sofia costs about 4% more than Caldas da Rainha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Caldas da Rainha sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Caldas da Rainha by 14%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$15.73 €14.03

8.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$50.9 €45.38

31.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$10.22 €9.12

15.17%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.05 €1.83

66.83%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.36 €2.10

2.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.42 €1.26

30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.78 €2.48

19.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.87 €3.46

17.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.07 €0.95

79.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.44 €1.28

4.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.56 €1.39

41.67%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.01 €2.69

46.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$10.38 €9.26

11.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.26 €6.48

21.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$12.81 €11.44

32.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.87 €1.67

16.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.33 €1.18

53.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.68 €1.50

9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.46 €2.19

74.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.92 €1.71

-46.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.88 €1.68

-50.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.29 €1.15

-6.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.84 €0.75

9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$5.74 €5.12

-25.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$3.95 €3.53

85.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.64 €1.46

-28.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.72 €1.54

8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$3.67 €3.27

-76.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$34.14 €30.46

-17.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.83 €2.53

-38.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.91 €1.71

-6.28%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$33.8K €30.2K

-11.28%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$37.7K €33.7K

-30.13%

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

$156 BGN 273

$108 €96.0

45.00%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$18.14 €16.19

16.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$38.70 €34.54

-59.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$48.88 €43.62

-4.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$27.78 €24.79

-0.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.78 €7.84

14.12%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$399 €356

92.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,537 €4,941

130.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$95.8 €85.5

-6.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$42.87 €38.26

-4.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$112 €100

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$68.4 €61.1

52.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$891 €795

-10.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$671 €599

-9.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,401 €1,251

11.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,122 €1,001

-5.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$2,845 €2,539

53.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,284 €2,038

42.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,145 €1,022

51.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.11

-7.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Caldas da Rainha: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$671 43.4% 10.5% $64

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Caldas da Rainha

$230 14.9% 20% $58

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Caldas da Rainha

$218 14.1% 14.9% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Caldas da Rainha

$164 10.6% 14.7% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Caldas da Rainha

$144 9.3% 6.4% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Caldas da Rainha

$66 4.3% 0.5% $0.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Caldas da Rainha

$52 * 3.3% 35.3% $13

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $891 in Caldas da Rainha. 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 52% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $230 – making Caldas da Rainha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Caldas da Rainha

🕒 Local time

14:00 2:00 PM

12:00 12:00 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

50,917

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 = 0.51 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Caldas da Rainha 2,730 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Caldas da Rainha

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 Caldas da Rainha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $2,298 in Caldas da Rainha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Caldas da Rainha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $51.0 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $1,532 in Caldas da Rainha. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Caldas da Rainha, where all-in costs run around $1,532, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Caldas da Rainha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Caldas da Rainha – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Caldas da Rainha. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.