Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Chaves

For one person, living is cheaper in Chaves: $1,064 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Chaves

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,064 in Chaves, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Chaves $1,064

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $1,607 in Chaves, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Chaves $1,607

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,150 in Chaves, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Chaves $2,150

Sofia costs about 50% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Chaves is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$7.99 €7.10

112.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$22.32 €19.86

205.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$7.78 €6.92

49.36%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.54 €1.37

122.73%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.49 €1.33

57.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.57 €0.51

221.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.28 €2.03

49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.73 €2.43

62.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.02 €0.90

93.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.14 €1.01

30.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.13 €1.01

106.19%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$3.05 €2.71

44.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$6.23 €5.54

85.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$6.53 €5.81

35.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$10.26 €9.12

70.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.14 €1.01

88.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.15 €1.02

80.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.11 €0.98

73.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.10 €0.97

286.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$2.02 €1.80

-49.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.13 €1.01

-22.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.41 €1.26

-15.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.79 €0.70

12.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$5.97 €5.31

-29.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$4.03 €3.58

95.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.15 €1.02

2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.15 €1.02

64.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.87 €0.77

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$27.67 €24.61

2.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.97 €3.53

-57.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.68 €0.61

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$19.78 €17.60

-22.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.95 €1.73

-9.23%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$34.1K €30.4K

-10.65%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$37.6K €33.4K

-33.31%

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

$157 BGN 273

$134 €119

17.56%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$17.81 €15.84

18.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$31.69 €28.19

-51.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$25.25 €22.46

83.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$5.49 €4.88

411.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$7.14 €6.35

40.62%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$223 €199

246.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$3,620 €3,220

246.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$71.9 €63.9

22.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$22.56 €20.07

83.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$63.0 €56.1

69.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$90.2 €80.3

17.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$478 €425

61.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$378 €336

59.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$951 €846

64.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$736 €655

40.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,870 €1,663

144.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,472 €1,310

114.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,015 €903

71.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-3.67%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Chaves

$378 35.5% 37.3% $224

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Chaves

$182 17.2% 37.3% $108

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Chaves

$131 12.3% 48.6% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Chaves

$183 17.2% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Chaves

$111 10.5% 27.7% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Chaves

$40 3.7% 40.5% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Chaves

$39 3.6% 0.1% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $478 in Chaves. 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 72% 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 $68.0 in Sofia versus $22.00 in Chaves. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $182 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Chaves

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

12:38 12:38 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,592

💱 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 22, 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 22, 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 Chaves 2,520 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Chaves

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 Chaves: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 50% more than Chaves, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $1,596 in Chaves. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Chaves. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $775 per month in Sofia and $223 in Chaves. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chaves, where all-in costs run around $1,064, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Chaves it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chaves costs $1,064 versus $1,600 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Chaves. 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.