Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Horana

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $13,700 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Horana
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Horana Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Horana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Horana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $456 in Horana.

Sofia $1,600
Horana $456

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $736 in Horana.

Sofia $2,490
Horana $736

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,016 in Horana.

Sofia $3,380
Horana $1,016

Living in Sofia is roughly 251% more expensive than in Horana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Horana is 66% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$1.83 LKR 605

826.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$24.89 LKR 8,246

174.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$7.46 LKR 2,472

55.76%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.46 LKR 815

39.43%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$0.59 LKR 195

296.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.22 LKR 72.9

731.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.16 LKR 716

57.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$3.06 LKR 1,015

45.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.58 LKR 522

24.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.40 LKR 134

272.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$0.65 LKR 217

258.46%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$1.69 LKR 560

160.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$13.82 LKR 4,579

-16.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$4.19 LKR 1,387

111.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$7.58 LKR 2,511

131.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.47 LKR 819

-12.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$0.37 LKR 124

459.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$4.47 LKR 1,481

-56.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.32 LKR 437

221.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.69 LKR 228

49.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.68 LKR 226

29.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.88 LKR 291

35.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.46 LKR 153

93.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$10.37 LKR 3,434

-59.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$12.82 LKR 4,248

-38.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.95 LKR 647

-39.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$3.05 LKR 1,011

-38.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.37 LKR 123

354.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.35 LKR 115

174.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$0.94 LKR 313

1534.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.40 LKR 464

26.43%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$43.3K LKR 14.3M

-29.58%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-37.80%

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

$157 BGN 273

$57.7 LKR 19.1K

172.47%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$2.96 LKR 982

613.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$20.58 LKR 6,815

-25.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$4.43 LKR 1,466

126.64%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$37.37 LKR 12.4K

1973.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$1,212 LKR 401.4K

935.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$17.81 LKR 5,898

394.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$16.63 LKR 5,507

148.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$78.1 LKR 25.9K

36.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$41.45 LKR 13.7K

156.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

12.69

-77.23%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Horana: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Horana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Horana

$207 45.5% 28.7% $84

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Horana

$87 19% 65.9% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Horana

$81 17.8% 58% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Horana

$69 15.2% 55% $85

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Horana

$8.9 * 1.9% 86.7% $58

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Horana

$2.1 * 0.5% 94.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Sofia vs $25.00 in Horana for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $207 per month, with Horana cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇱🇰 Horana

🕒 Local time

01:17 1:17 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

15,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Horana 6,820 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Horana

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 Horana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Horana is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 251% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $2,400 in Sofia and $683 in Horana to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $37.37 in Horana. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Horana – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $68.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $456 in Horana versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Horana but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Horana the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Horana is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Horana 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 Horana gentler on the wallet – expenses run 251% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.