Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Hella

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,722 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
Learn more

Hella Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Hella

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,722 in Hella, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Hella $1,722

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,928 in Hella, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Hella $2,928

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $4,135 in Hella, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Hella $4,135

Sofia is about 7% cheaper than Hella, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Hella sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Hella by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$31.26 ISK 3,791

-46.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$123 ISK 14.9K

-46.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$27.14 ISK 3,291

-58.29%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$6.93 ISK 841

-50.51%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.36 ISK 407

-28.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$3.07 ISK 373

-39.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$13.71 ISK 1,663

-73.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$12.32 ISK 1,495

-62.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.04 ISK 247

-0.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$4.26 ISK 516

-63.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.58 ISK 434

-34.92%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$6.99 ISK 848

-37.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$22.00 ISK 2,668

-46.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$24.51 ISK 2,973

-63.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$41.04 ISK 4,978

-57.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.35 ISK 406

-35.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.86 ISK 347

-30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.13 ISK 379

-38.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$6.62 ISK 803

-35.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$3.81 ISK 463

-72.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.71 ISK 208

-50.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$3.78 ISK 458

-69.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.77 ISK 215

-49.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$13.79 ISK 1,672

-69.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$23.61 ISK 2,863

-68.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$3.71 ISK 449

-69.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.50 ISK 425

-47.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$6.61 ISK 802

-74.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.76 ISK 335

-65.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$81.2 ISK 9,844

-81.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.09 ISK 253

-19.14%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

-41.84%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

-51.71%

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

$156 BGN 272

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

64.00%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$33.16 ISK 4,022

-34.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

-82.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$19.67 ISK 2,386

-48.25%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

-35.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

-50.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$147 ISK 17.8K

-38.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$67.0 ISK 8,130

-38.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$183 ISK 22.2K

-42.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$253 ISK 30.7K

-57.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

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 Hella: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Hella

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Hella

$620 36% 114% $330

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Hella

$534 31% 109% $279

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Hella

$216 12.6% 12% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Hella

$292 17% 89.3% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Hella

$39 * 2.3% 40.8% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Hella

$20 * 1.2% 46.8% $18

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $123 in Hella. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $620 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇸 Hella

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

03:15 3:15 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

900

💱 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 Hella 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Hella

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 Hella: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,722 in Hella – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,583 in Hella. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,722 in Hella. That's a gap of about 8%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $1,198 in Hella. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Hella at $1,722. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $1,722 in Hella. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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