Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Hilversum

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,920 in Hilversum, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 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
142

Cost of Living Index in Hilversum
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Hilversum Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Hilversum

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Hilversum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,920 in Hilversum.

Sofia $1,594
Hilversum $2,920

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $4,236 in Hilversum.

Sofia $2,478
Hilversum $4,236

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $5,553 in Hilversum.

Sofia $3,361
Hilversum $5,553

Living in Sofia costs roughly 45% less than in Hilversum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Hilversum 116% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$27.73 €24.67

-39.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$79.5 €70.7

-17.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$16.70 €14.85

-32.22%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.30 €3.82

-20.23%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.92 €3.49

-38.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.98 €2.65

-37.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.53 €4.92

-33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.53 €4.92

-17.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.81 €1.61

11.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.37 €2.11

-34.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.47 €3.09

-32.85%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$5.27 €4.69

-17.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$14.30 €12.72

-17.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$13.89 €12.35

-36.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.46 €14.64

6.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.53 €2.25

-15.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.68 €2.38

-26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.71 €2.41

-28.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$5.21 €4.63

-18.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.89 €1.68

-44.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.23 €1.98

-61.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.48 €1.32

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.14 €1.02

-21.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$12.60 €11.21

-66.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.83 €6.07

9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.48 €1.31

-22.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.72 €2.42

-31.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.62 €3.22

-75.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$66.0 €58.7

-56.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.50 €4.89

-69.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.44 €3.06

-72.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$22.12 €19.67

-30.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.39 €2.13

-29.29%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$41.8K €37.2K

-28.75%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$42.6K €37.9K

-38.62%

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

$156 BGN 272

$265 €236

-41.09%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$28.28 €25.15

-23.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$63.2 €56.2

-75.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$68.0 €60.5

-32.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$33.61 €29.89

-16.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.73 €14.88

-39.15%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$678 €603

14.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$15.6K €13.9K

-18.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$113 €100

-20.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$47.90 €42.60

-13.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.3 €80.4

16.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$141 €126

-24.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,683 €1,497

-53.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,432 €1,274

-58.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,924 €2,601

-48.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,281 €2,029

-54.84%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$6,800 €6,049

-36.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$5,225 €4,648

-39.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$3,910 €3,478

-55.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.3

-32.79%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hilversum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Hilversum

$1.4K 49.1% 140% $835

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Hilversum

$360 12.3% 24.1% $70

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Hilversum

$390 13.4% 53% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Hilversum

$356 12.2% 84.8% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Hilversum

$177 6.1% 14.4% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Hilversum

$101 3.5% 52.6% $35

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Hilversum

$103 3.5% 169% $65

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Hilversum pays 125% 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 $80.0 in Hilversum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $360 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇱 Hilversum

🕒 Local time

05:21 5:21 AM

04:21 4:21 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

93,345

💱 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

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Between locations

Sofia Hilversum 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Hilversum

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 Hilversum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Hilversum differ by about 83% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $2,920 including rent). Sofia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 125% lower in Hilversum. 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 $1,683 in Hilversum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 131% less than in Hilversum. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $678 in Hilversum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,920 in Hilversum, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Hilversum. 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 Hilversum 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 83% less than in Hilversum. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.