Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Goes

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $2,593 in Goes, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 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
126

Cost of Living Index in Goes
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Goes Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Goes

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,593

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Goes

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $2,593 in Goes, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Goes $2,593

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $3,733 in Goes, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Goes $3,733

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $4,873 in Goes, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Goes $4,873

Sofia is about 38% cheaper than Goes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Goes sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Goes by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.68

$16.51 €14.72

2.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$72.7 €64.8

-6.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.33

$14.84 €13.23

-21.70%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$4.89 €4.36

-29.86%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.10

$3.24 €2.89

-27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.21

$2.81 €2.50

-34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.96

$6.57 €5.85

-48.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.77

$5.67 €5.05

-21.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.44

$1.47 €1.31

34.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.61

$2.40 €2.14

-37.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.08

$3.71 €3.31

-37.20%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.72

$5.25 €4.68

-16.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.20

$15.14 €13.49

-23.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.53

$14.91 €13.29

-40.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.64

$15.87 €14.14

10.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$2.78 €2.48

-22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.62

$2.48 €2.21

-16.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.87 €1.66

3.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.43

$5.62 €5.01

-24.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.81 €1.61

-43.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$2.80 €2.50

-68.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$1.28 €1.14

-7.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.87 €0.77

2.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.40

$14.06 €12.53

-69.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.77

$6.98 €6.22

12.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$1.29 €1.15

-8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.31

$2.61 €2.33

-27.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$3.40 €3.03

-72.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.52

$88.0 €78.4

-67.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$4.07 €3.63

-58.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.69

$2.80 €2.50

-65.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.88

$29.59 €26.38

-48.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.10

$2.42 €2.16

-26.86%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

$42.0K €37.5K

-27.44%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.9K

$38.6K €34.4K

-35.06%

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

$157 BGN 275

$340 €303

-53.83%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.95

$22.78 €20.30

-7.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.80

$61.6 €54.9

-75.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 81.2

$40.24 €35.86

15.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 49.15

$23.47 €20.92

19.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.56

$14.53 €12.95

-30.90%

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

$775 BGN 1,356

$2,996 €2,670

-74.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.9K

$5,979 €5,329

109.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 154

$93.8 €83.6

-6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.4

$42.63 €37.99

-2.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 187

$86.7 €77.3

23.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 186

$99.0 €88.2

7.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,347

$1,415 €1,261

-45.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,054

$1,172 €1,045

-48.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,737

$2,429 €2,165

-35.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,813

$1,880 €1,675

-44.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,992

$5,254 €4,683

-13.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,534

$4,444 €3,961

-28.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,048

$3,080 €2,745

-43.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.95

-26.84%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Goes: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Goes

$1.2K 45.2% 94.7% $570

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Goes

$359 13.8% 23.3% $68

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Goes

$304 11.7% 19.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Goes

$425 16.4% 119% $231

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Goes

$145 5.6% 6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Goes

$69 2.7% 4.3% $2.8

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Goes

$120 4.6% 211% $81

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $1,415 in Goes. 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 77% higher in Goes. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $73 in Goes. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $359 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇱 Goes

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

27,495

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Goes 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Goes

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 Goes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Goes is pricier by about 62%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $3,890 in Goes. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $770 there versus $1,415 in Goes.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,600 in Sofia and $2,593 in Goes. That’s a gap of about 62%.

Public transport costs about 68% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,600 in Sofia and $2,593 in Goes, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Goes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.