Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and El Medano

Name: El Medano
Address: El Medano, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in El Medano: $1,447 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in El Medano
Learn more

El Medano Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

El Medano

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,447

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in El Medano

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,447 in El Medano, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
El Medano $1,447

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,394 in El Medano, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
El Medano $2,394

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,342 in El Medano, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
El Medano $3,342

Sofia costs about 10% more than El Medano, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Sofia and El Medano sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, El Medano by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$20.37 €18.12

-17.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$61.7 €54.9

6.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.38 €10.13

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.99 €1.77

72.36%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.90 €1.69

26.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.30 €1.16

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.76 €2.45

34.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.28 €2.91

39.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.32 €1.18

53.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.41 €2.14

-35.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.59 €1.41

46.54%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$4.18 €3.72

4.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$14.57 €12.96

-19.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.25 €8.23

-4.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$17.98 €15.99

-2.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.48 €2.21

-13.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.28 €2.03

-13.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.25 €2.00

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.53 €2.25

67.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.10 €1.87

-50.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.93 €1.72

-55.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.64 €1.46

-29.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.98 €0.87

-9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.52 €4.91

-23.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.73 €6.88

-3.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.68 €1.50

-31.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.38 €1.23

34.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.67 €1.49

-47.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$25.49 €22.67

11.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.08 €3.63

-58.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.73 €1.54

-45.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.58 €14.75

-7.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.25 €1.11

35.20%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.1K €24.1K

9.80%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$28.8K €25.7K

-9.40%

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

$156 BGN 272

$98.8 €87.9

57.99%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$22.46 €19.98

-4.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$35.17 €31.28

-56.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$44.58 €39.66

3.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$15.75 €14.01

77.27%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.90 €8.81

2.83%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$407 €362

90.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,118 €4,553

150.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$92.2 €82.0

-2.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$41.86 €37.24

-1.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.2 €80.3

16.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$114 €102

-6.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$895 €796

-12.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$468 €416

27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,354 €1,205

11.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,027 €913

0.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,258 €2,898

33.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,228 €1,982

42.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.56

-18.82%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for El Medano: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

El Medano

$468 32.3% 21.6% $129

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

El Medano

$307 21.2% 5.7% $17

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

El Medano

$254 17.6% 0.3% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

El Medano

$156 10.8% 18.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

El Medano

$152 10.5% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

El Medano

$64 4.5% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

El Medano

$45 3.1% 17% $6.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $895 in El Medano. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $62.0 in El Medano. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $307 in El Medano – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇸 El Medano

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

03:06 3:06 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

2,500

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia El Medano 3,920 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
El Medano

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 El Medano: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,447 in El Medano – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,171 in El Medano. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in El Medano, 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 $407 in El Medano. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Sofia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in El Medano, where all-in costs run around $1,447, than in Sofia at $1,594. In El Medano it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia 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 $1,447 in El Medano to $1,594 in Sofia. 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 El Medano. 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.