Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gela

For one person, living is cheaper in Gela: $1,235 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Gela
Learn more

Gela Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Gela

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,235

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,235 in Gela.

Sofia $1,594
Gela $1,235

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,975 in Gela.

Sofia $2,478
Gela $1,975

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,714 in Gela.

Sofia $3,361
Gela $2,714

Living in Sofia is roughly 29% more expensive than in Gela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Gela is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.32 €10.07

49.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$55.3 €49.22

18.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.30 €8.28

21.72%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.75 €1.56

96.00%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.34 €2.08

2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.26 €1.12

46.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$4.00 €3.56

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.87 €3.44

18.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.25 €1.11

61.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.74 €1.55

-10.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.29 €2.03

1.75%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.93 €2.61

48.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$14.62 €13.01

-19.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$11.93 €10.62

-25.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.87 €15.01

3.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.98 €2.65

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.19 €1.94

-9.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.13 €1.90

-9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.24 €2.00

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.72 €1.53

-39.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.84 €2.53

-70.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.26 €1.12

-8.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.40 €0.35

122.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.87 €6.11

-38.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.69 €6.84

-2.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.98 €1.76

-41.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.22 €1.97

-16.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.41 €1.26

-38.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$42.44 €37.75

-32.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.64 €5.02

-70.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.20 €1.96

-57.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$32.81 €29.18

-53.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.97 €1.75

-14.21%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.3K €32.3K

-17.91%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.5K €31.6K

-26.47%

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

$156 BGN 272

$169 €150

-7.74%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.98 €8.88

116.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$27.12 €24.12

-43.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$50.5 €44.94

-8.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$24.05 €21.39

16.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.70 €7.74

17.01%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$451 €401

71.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,478 €4,873

133.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$70.1 €62.4

28.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.53 €27.16

35.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$87.3 €77.6

20.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$125 €111

-14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$305 €271

156.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$271 €241

120.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$499 €444

203.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$538 €479

91.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,158 €1,920

101.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$998 €887

218.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.39

-14.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gela: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Gela

$271 21.9% 54.6% $326

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Gela

$303 24.5% 4.3% $13

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Gela

$182 14.7% 28.7% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Gela

$206 16.7% 6.9% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Gela

$141 11.4% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Gela

$68 5.5% 2.2% $1.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gela

$65 5.2% 68.7% $26

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $305 in Gela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $55.0 in Gela. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $303, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Gela

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

70,735

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Gela 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Gela

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 Gela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gela is cheaper overall, especially in eating out and clothing. The 29% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $1,853 in Gela to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $305 in Gela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $451 in Gela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Shoppers in Sofia pay roughly 4% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

At $1,235 in Gela versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gela but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gela the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gela is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Gela 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 Gela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 29% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.