Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gudja

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,762 in Gudja, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Gudja outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Gudja
Learn more

Gudja Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Gudja

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,762

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gudja

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,762 in Gudja.

Sofia $1,594
Gudja $1,762

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,680 in Gudja.

Sofia $2,478
Gudja $2,680

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,597 in Gudja.

Sofia $3,361
Gudja $3,597

Living in Sofia costs roughly 10% less than in Gudja, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Gudja 31% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.74 €10.44

43.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$86.9 €77.3

-24.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$13.41 €11.93

-15.59%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.28 €2.03

50.44%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.81 €1.61

33.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.96 €0.85

92.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.30 €2.04

60.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.14 €2.79

45.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.29 €1.15

56.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.30 €1.16

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.85 €2.53

-18.25%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.55 €3.16

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.64 €6.80

53.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.76 €8.68

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$18.02 €16.03

-3.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.27 €2.02

-5.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.95 €1.73

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.51 €2.23

-23.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.60 €2.31

63.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.68 €1.50

-38.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.03 €1.80

-58.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.98 €0.87

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.85 €0.76

4.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.51 €4.90

-23.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.32 €7.40

-10.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.58 €1.41

-27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.65 €1.47

12.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.94 €1.72

-55.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$16.99 €15.12

67.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.55 €4.93

-69.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.21 €1.96

-57.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$26.74 €23.79

-42.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.48 €1.32

14.19%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.3K €24.2K

9.31%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.3K €21.6K

7.51%

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

$156 BGN 272

$103 €91.9

51.08%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.59 €14.76

29.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$27.47 €24.44

-44.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$133 €119

-65.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$22.28 €19.82

25.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$10.22 €9.09

-0.39%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$367 €327

110.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.9K €9,712

17.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$79.7 €70.9

12.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.67 €36.18

1.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$73.2 €65.1

43.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$78.9 €70.2

35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$902 €802

-13.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$833 €741

-28.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,444 €1,284

5.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,281 €1,140

-19.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,830 €1,628

137.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,653 €1,471

92.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,322 €1,176

31.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.9

-0.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gudja: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Gudja

$833 47.2% 39.5% $236

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Gudja

$274 15.6% 5.5% $16

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Gudja

$190 10.8% 25.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Gudja

$147 8.4% 23.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Gudja

$123 7% 20.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Gudja

$154 8.7% 131% $87

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gudja

$41 2.4% 7.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $902 in Gudja. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $87.0 in Gudja. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $274, with Gudja cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇹 Gudja

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

18:01 6:01 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Gudja 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Gudja

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 Gudja: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and utilities. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $902 in Gudja. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $87.0 in Gudja. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,762 in Gudja – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,762 in Gudja, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Gudja. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Sofia and Gudja 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 11% less than in Gudja. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.