Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and the Canary Islands

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in the Canary Islands: $1,594 and $1,650 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Canary Islands
Learn more

Canary Islands Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Canary Islands

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in the Canary Islands

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 the Canary Islands actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands.

Sofia $1,594
Canary Islands $1,650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,373 in the Canary Islands.

Sofia $2,478
Canary Islands $2,373

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,095 in the Canary Islands.

Sofia $3,361
Canary Islands $3,095

Living in Sofia costs roughly 3% less than in the Canary Islands, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Canary Islands 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$20.32 €18.07

-16.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$61.1 €54.3

7.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.42 €8.38

20.17%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.05 €1.83

67.32%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.86 €1.65

29.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.10 €0.98

68.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.85 €2.53

29.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.42 €3.04

33.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.36 €1.21

48.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.39 €2.13

-34.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.58 €1.40

47.47%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.18 €1.94

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$19.31 €17.18

-39.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.93 €8.83

-11.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$17.23 €15.33

1.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.73 €2.43

-21.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.25 €2.00

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.16 €1.92

-10.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.51 €2.23

68.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.14 €1.91

-51.40%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.02 €1.80

-57.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.70 €1.51

-32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.93 €0.83

-4.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.66 €4.14

-9.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.86 €6.99

-5.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.70 €1.51

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.75 €1.55

5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.86 €0.76

1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.24 €3.78

-60.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.69 €1.50

-44.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.59 €14.75

-7.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.70 €1.51

-0.59%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$24.9K €22.2K

19.58%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$29.0K €25.8K

-9.78%

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

$156 BGN 272

$126 €112

23.79%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.91 €18.60

3.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$35.49 €31.57

-57.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$47.49 €42.25

-2.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$24.07 €21.41

16.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.85 €8.76

3.35%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$400 €355

93.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,096 €4,533

151.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$68.3 €60.7

31.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$38.65 €34.38

6.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.6 €79.7

17.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$114 €101

-6.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,111 €988

-29.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$680 €605

-12.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$825 €734

24.80%

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

$1,369 €1,218

26.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.33

-13.21%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for the Canary Islands: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Canary Islands

$680 41.2% 14% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Canary Islands

$316 19.2% 8.9% $26

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Canary Islands

$248 15.1% 2.5% $6.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Canary Islands

$182 11.1% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Canary Islands

$140 8.5% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Canary Islands

$67 4.1% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Canary Islands

$16 * 1% 58% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 27% 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 $61.0 in the Canary Islands. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $316, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇸 Canary Islands

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

20:48 8:48 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

12,050

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Canary Islands 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Canary Islands

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 Canary Islands: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 4% lower than in the Canary Islands. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 27% 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 $1,111 in the Canary Islands. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in the Canary Islands. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,650 in the Canary Islands, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in the Canary Islands. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Canary Islands 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 Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in the Canary Islands. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.