Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Hamar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,380 in Hamar, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Hamar
Learn more

Hamar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Hamar

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,380

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Hamar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,380 in Hamar.

Sofia $1,594
Hamar $2,380

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $3,750 in Hamar.

Sofia $2,478
Hamar $3,750

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $5,120 in Hamar.

Sofia $3,361
Hamar $5,120

Living in Sofia costs roughly 33% less than in Hamar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Hamar 76% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$21.18 NOK 199

-20.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$125 NOK 1,180

-47.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$15.83 NOK 149

-28.49%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$5.76 NOK 54.2

-40.45%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$4.21 NOK 39.63

-42.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$3.28 NOK 30.85

-43.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$11.49 NOK 108

-67.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$8.07 NOK 76.0

-43.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.50 NOK 23.53

-19.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.93 NOK 27.57

-46.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.06 NOK 19.36

13.11%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$5.76 NOK 54.3

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.05 NOK 104

6.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.20 NOK 115

-27.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$31.42 NOK 296

-44.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.21 NOK 30.26

-33.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.57 NOK 24.17

-22.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.05 NOK 28.74

-36.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$5.89 NOK 55.5

-28.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.48 NOK 23.34

-58.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.44 NOK 22.95

-65.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.12 NOK 19.97

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.99 NOK 18.74

-55.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$18.94 NOK 178

-77.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$16.40 NOK 154

-54.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$3.38 NOK 31.78

-65.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$4.18 NOK 39.37

-55.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$4.66 NOK 43.87

-81.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$67.5 NOK 635

-57.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$11.92 NOK 112

-85.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.78 NOK 16.76

-47.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$69.5 NOK 654

-77.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.37 NOK 22.32

-28.69%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$47.8K NOK 449.5K

-37.60%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$43.6K NOK 410.2K

-40.02%

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

$156 BGN 272

$223 NOK 2,104

-30.15%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$33.07 NOK 311

-34.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$54.1 NOK 509

-71.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$58.2 NOK 548

-20.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$29.40 NOK 277

-5.03%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$19.79 NOK 186

-48.56%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$207 NOK 1,948

274.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$15.8K NOK 148.3K

-18.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$102 NOK 959

-11.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$59.5 NOK 560

-30.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$131 NOK 1,230

-19.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$104 NOK 977

2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,227 NOK 11.6K

-36.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$847 NOK 7,973

-29.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,578 NOK 14.9K

-3.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,489 NOK 14.0K

-30.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,302 NOK 40.5K

1.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,421 NOK 32.2K

-7.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$4,269 NOK 40.2K

-59.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.94

-41.50%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hamar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Hamar

$847 35.6% 41.9% $250

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Hamar

$450 18.9% 54.8% $159

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Hamar

$390 16.4% 52.9% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Hamar

$311 13.1% 61% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Hamar

$178 7.5% 15.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Hamar

$98 4.1% 47.1% $31

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Hamar

$107 4.5% 179% $69

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,227 in Hamar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hamar pays 146% 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 $125 in Hamar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $450 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇴 Hamar

🕒 Local time

19:12 7:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

33,059

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 NOK = 10.62 USD

100 NOK = 9.45 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 9.41 NOK (1 NOK = 0.106 USD). 1 EUR = 10.58 NOK (100 NOK = 9.45 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Hamar 2,190 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Hamar

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 Hamar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Hamar differ by about 49% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $2,380 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 146% lower in Hamar. 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 $1,227 in Hamar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 55% higher in Hamar. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $125 in Hamar. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,380 in Hamar, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Hamar. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Hamar 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 49% less than in Hamar. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.