Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Herentals

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,026 in Herentals, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
104

Cost of Living Index in Herentals
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Herentals Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Herentals

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,026

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Herentals

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $2,026 in Herentals, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Herentals $2,026

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,958 in Herentals, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Herentals $2,958

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,890 in Herentals, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Herentals $3,890

Sofia is about 21% cheaper than Herentals, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Herentals sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Herentals by 50%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$17.69 €15.79

-4.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$88.8 €79.3

-25.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$12.30 €10.98

-7.97%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$3.56 €3.17

-3.65%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$3.51 €3.13

-31.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.62 €2.34

-29.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$5.65 €5.05

-34.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$4.49 €4.01

2.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.24 €1.11

62.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$2.75 €2.45

-43.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$3.63 €3.24

-35.81%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.64 €3.25

19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$17.75 €15.84

-33.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$11.59 €10.34

-23.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$14.90 €13.30

17.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$3.04 €2.72

-29.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.41 €2.15

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.99 €2.67

-35.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$2.97 €2.66

42.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$2.30 €2.05

-54.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.03 €1.81

-58.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.77 €1.58

-35.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$1.06 €0.95

-16.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$9.39 €8.38

-55.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$7.78 €6.94

-4.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$2.46 €2.19

-53.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$3.14 €2.81

-41.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$3.20 €2.86

-72.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$5.10 €4.55

-67.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$2.62 €2.34

-64.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$16.97 €15.14

-9.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.75 €1.56

-3.43%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$35.0K €31.2K

-14.74%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$33.3K €29.7K

-21.54%

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

$156 BGN 273

$339 €303

-53.97%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$25.22 €22.51

-14.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$60.1 €53.7

-74.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$40.55 €36.19

13.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$21.71 €19.38

28.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$14.44 €12.88

-29.50%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$821 €733

-5.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$22.4K €20.0K

-42.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$83.5 €74.5

7.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$49.70 €44.36

-16.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$102 €90.9

3.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$129 €115

-16.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$819 €731

-4.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$709 €633

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$1,517 €1,354

-0.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$1,035 €924

-0.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$4,347 €3,880

0.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,636 €2,352

20.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.65

-20.82%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Herentals: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Herentals

$709 35% 18.8% $112

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Herentals

$346 17.1% 19.2% $56

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Herentals

$283 14% 11% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Herentals

$424 21% 120% $232

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Herentals

$164 8.1% 6% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Herentals

$69 3.4% 4.5% $3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Herentals

$31 * 1.5% 19.3% $7.4

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $819 in Herentals. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $89.0 in Herentals. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $346 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇪 Herentals

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

25,912

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Herentals 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Herentals

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 Herentals: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Herentals is pricier by about 27%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $3,040 in Herentals. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $89.0 in Herentals. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Herentals, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Herentals at $2,026. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Herentals it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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