Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Eskilstuna

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,748 in Eskilstuna, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Eskilstuna
Learn more

Eskilstuna Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Eskilstuna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Eskilstuna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna.

Sofia $1,594
Eskilstuna $1,748

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,674 in Eskilstuna.

Sofia $2,478
Eskilstuna $2,674

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,600 in Eskilstuna.

Sofia $3,361
Eskilstuna $3,600

Living in Sofia costs roughly 9% less than in Eskilstuna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Eskilstuna 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.55 SEK 134

24.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$63.9 SEK 633

3.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.22 SEK 101

10.76%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.29 SEK 42.52

-20.05%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.58 SEK 25.55

-6.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.21 SEK 21.94

-16.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$4.90 SEK 48.55

-24.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.00 SEK 49.54

-8.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.43 SEK 14.20

41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.15 SEK 31.18

-50.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.41 SEK 33.81

-31.67%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.93 SEK 38.94

10.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$13.32 SEK 132

-11.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.27 SEK 122

-28.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$12.74 SEK 126

37.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.23 SEK 32.01

-33.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.68 SEK 26.55

-26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.53 SEK 25.11

-23.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.72 SEK 36.88

13.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.41 SEK 13.96

-26.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.79 SEK 17.72

-52.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$3.05 SEK 30.24

-62.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.72 SEK 17.07

-48.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.88 SEK 68.2

-38.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.80 SEK 77.2

-4.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.96 SEK 19.42

-41.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.20 SEK 21.82

-15.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.23 SEK 32.02

-73.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$66.9 SEK 663

-57.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$12.72 SEK 126

-86.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.05 SEK 20.27

-54.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$78.2 SEK 775

-80.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.73 SEK 17.16

-2.31%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$31.4K SEK 311.5K

-5.21%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.5K SEK 321.7K

-19.51%

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

$156 BGN 272

$177 SEK 1,751

-11.68%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$28.43 SEK 282

-24.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$38.00 SEK 377

-59.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$24.49 SEK 243

88.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$25.82 SEK 256

8.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$10.84 SEK 107

-6.09%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$148 SEK 1,468

422.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,008 SEK 49.6K

155.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$98.2 SEK 973

-8.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$29.44 SEK 292

40.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.7 SEK 889

17.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$148 SEK 1,465

-27.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$791 SEK 7,840

-1.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$602 SEK 5,961

-0.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,150 SEK 11.4K

31.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,029 SEK 10.2K

0.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,052 SEK 40.2K

7.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,775 SEK 27.5K

14.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$4,169 SEK 41.3K

-58.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.8

3.21%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eskilstuna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Eskilstuna

$602 34.4% 0.8% $4.7

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Eskilstuna

$346 19.8% 19.2% $56

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Eskilstuna

$244 14% 4.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Eskilstuna

$243 13.9% 26.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Eskilstuna

$164 9.4% 6.4% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Eskilstuna

$46 2.6% 30.5% $20

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Eskilstuna

$103 5.9% 168% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Eskilstuna pays 140% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $64.0 in Eskilstuna. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $346, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Eskilstuna

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

67,359

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Eskilstuna 1,910 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Eskilstuna

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 Eskilstuna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Eskilstuna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 140% lower in Eskilstuna. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $791 in Eskilstuna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna – a 10% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 134% less than in Eskilstuna. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,748 in Eskilstuna, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Eskilstuna. 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 Eskilstuna 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 10% less than in Eskilstuna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.