Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Chur

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $3,235 in Chur, rent and utilities included – about $19,700 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
158

Cost of Living Index in Chur
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Chur Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Chur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Chur

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $3,235 in Chur, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Chur $3,235

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $5,037 in Chur, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Chur $5,037

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $6,840 in Chur, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Chur $6,840

Sofia is about 51% cheaper than Chur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Chur sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Chur by 140%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$28.57 CHF 23.53

-40.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$107 CHF 87.7

-38.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$16.08 CHF 13.24

-29.60%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$5.56 CHF 4.58

-38.31%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$5.73 CHF 4.72

-57.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$5.18 CHF 4.26

-64.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$8.23 CHF 6.78

-55.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$8.28 CHF 6.82

-44.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.20 CHF 1.81

-8.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.42 CHF 2.81

-54.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$4.21 CHF 3.47

-44.66%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-41.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$26.47 CHF 21.80

-55.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$25.86 CHF 21.30

-65.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$38.41 CHF 31.64

-54.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.58 CHF 2.95

-39.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.60 CHF 2.14

-25.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.74 CHF 3.90

-10.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.91 CHF 1.57

-45.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.24 CHF 1.84

-62.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.42 CHF 1.99

-52.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.41 CHF 1.16

-36.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$10.64 CHF 8.76

-60.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$12.92 CHF 10.64

-42.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-45.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$5.31 CHF 4.38

-83.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$184 CHF 151

-84.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$7.49 CHF 6.17

-77.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$4.89 CHF 4.03

-80.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$87.1 CHF 71.8

-82.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.10 CHF 1.73

-19.52%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$40.9K CHF 33.7K

-27.19%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.6K CHF 31.0K

-30.52%

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

$156 BGN 272

$232 CHF 191

-32.74%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$32.08 CHF 26.42

-32.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$53.3 CHF 43.87

-71.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$78.6 CHF 64.8

-41.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$33.32 CHF 27.44

-16.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$21.55 CHF 17.75

-52.76%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$2,424 CHF 1,997

-68.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$44.7K CHF 36.8K

-71.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$89.0 CHF 73.3

1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$48.89 CHF 40.27

-15.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$120 CHF 98.4

-12.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$172 CHF 142

-38.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,709 CHF 1,407

-54.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,349 CHF 1,111

-55.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,988 CHF 2,461

-49.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,517 CHF 2,073

-59.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$7,198 CHF 5,929

-39.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$5,335 CHF 4,394

-40.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$8,475 CHF 6,980

-79.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

1.72

68.02%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chur: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Chur

$1.3K 41.7% 126% $752

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Chur

$572 17.7% 96.8% $281

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Chur

$445 13.8% 74.6% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Chur

$317 9.8% 64.6% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Chur

$193 6% 25.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Chur

$122 3.8% 83.2% $55

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Chur

$237 7.3% 517% $199

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,709 in Chur. 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 388% higher in Chur, 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $107 in Chur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $572 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇭 Chur

🕒 Local time

09:24 9:24 AM

08:24 8:24 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,082

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Chur 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Chur

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 Chur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $3,235 in Chur – roughly 103% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $4,852 in Chur. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $2,424 in Chur. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 97% more in Chur, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Chur at $3,235. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $3,235 in Chur. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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