Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Hafnarfjordur

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent and utilities included – about $27,400 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
186

Cost of Living Index in Hafnarfjordur
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Hafnarfjordur Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Hafnarfjordur

🇮🇸 Iceland

$3,877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Hafnarfjordur

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Hafnarfjordur $3,877

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $5,400 in Hafnarfjordur, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Hafnarfjordur $5,400

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $6,923 in Hafnarfjordur, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Hafnarfjordur $6,923

Sofia is about 59% cheaper than Hafnarfjordur, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Hafnarfjordur sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Hafnarfjordur by 187%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$31.03 ISK 3,763

-45.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$124 ISK 15.0K

-46.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$16.27 ISK 1,973

-30.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$6.88 ISK 835

-50.15%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.27 ISK 396

-26.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$3.07 ISK 372

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$14.18 ISK 1,720

-73.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$12.22 ISK 1,482

-62.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.70 ISK 207

18.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$4.18 ISK 507

-62.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.61 ISK 438

-35.46%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$7.19 ISK 872

-39.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$21.88 ISK 2,654

-46.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$24.76 ISK 3,003

-64.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$42.29 ISK 5,130

-58.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.41 ISK 413

-36.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.50 ISK 303

-20.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.18 ISK 386

-39.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$6.33 ISK 767

-33.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$3.87 ISK 469

-73.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.69 ISK 205

-49.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$3.69 ISK 447

-68.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.81 ISK 220

-50.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$13.80 ISK 1,674

-69.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$23.94 ISK 2,904

-68.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$3.54 ISK 430

-67.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.43 ISK 416

-46.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$5.21 ISK 632

-83.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$85.4 ISK 10.4K

-66.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$6.58 ISK 798

-74.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.80 ISK 339

-66.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$80.9 ISK 9,810

-81.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.04 ISK 248

-17.16%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$51.3K ISK 6.2M

-41.93%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$53.3K ISK 6.5M

-50.98%

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

$156 BGN 272

$70.7 ISK 8,571

120.86%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$33.02 ISK 4,005

-34.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$87.0 ISK 10.6K

-82.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$64.9 ISK 7,870

-28.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$17.05 ISK 2,068

-40.29%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$1,196 ISK 145.1K

-35.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$25.8K ISK 3.1M

-50.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$124 ISK 15.0K

-27.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$65.8 ISK 7,980

-37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$125 ISK 15.2K

-15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$252 ISK 30.6K

-57.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$2,498 ISK 302.9K

-68.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$2,087 ISK 253.1K

-71.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$3,226 ISK 391.3K

-53.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,607 ISK 316.2K

-60.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$7,085 ISK 859.4K

-38.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$6,990 ISK 847.8K

-54.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$4,751 ISK 576.2K

-63.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

8.81

-67.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hafnarfjordur: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Hafnarfjordur

$2.1K 53.8% 250% $1.5K

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Hafnarfjordur

$619 16% 113% $328

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Hafnarfjordur

$500 12.9% 96.4% $246

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Hafnarfjordur

$191 4.9% 1.1% $2.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Hafnarfjordur

$255 6.6% 65.2% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Hafnarfjordur

$99 2.6% 49% $33

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Hafnarfjordur

$127 3.3% 230% $88

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $2,498 in Hafnarfjordur. 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 174% higher in Hafnarfjordur, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $124 in Hafnarfjordur. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $619 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇸 Hafnarfjordur

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

31,525

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, USD, EUR 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).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Hafnarfjordur 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Hafnarfjordur

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 Hafnarfjordur: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hafnarfjordur costs about 143% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $5,816 in Hafnarfjordur. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur. That's a gap of about 143%.

Public transport costs about 199% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Hafnarfjordur at $3,877. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hafnarfjordur it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $3,877 in Hafnarfjordur. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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