Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Horta

For one person, living is cheaper in Horta: $1,206 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Horta
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Horta Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Horta

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,206

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Horta

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,206 in Horta, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Horta $1,206

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,787 in Horta, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Horta $1,787

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,367 in Horta, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Horta $2,367

Sofia costs about 32% more than Horta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Horta is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$7.99 €7.13

114.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$31.09 €27.74

115.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$8.29 €7.40

41.98%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.25 €2.01

52.00%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.91 €1.71

26.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.39 €1.24

33.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.76 €2.47

20.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.35 €2.99

35.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.07 €0.96

79.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.47 €1.31

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.60 €1.43

38.12%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.37 €3.90

0.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$10.77 €9.61

7.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.72 €6.89

13.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$15.12 €13.49

12.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.06 €1.83

5.34%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.34 €1.19

52.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.87 €1.67

-1.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.86 €2.55

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.85 €1.65

-44.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.91 €1.71

-51.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.53 €1.36

-21.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.83 €0.75

10.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$5.34 €4.77

-19.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$5.64 €5.03

29.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.21 €1.08

-2.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.10 €1.88

-10.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.98 €1.77

-56.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$40.47 €36.12

-30.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$4.16 €3.71

-58.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.93 €0.83

3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$17.81 €15.89

-12.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.42 €2.16

-26.03%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$32.9K €29.3K

-8.79%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$35.8K €31.9K

-26.34%

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

$156 BGN 273

$121 €108

28.81%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$20.13 €17.97

5.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$49.19 €43.90

-68.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$47.92 €42.77

-2.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$16.59 €14.80

67.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$5.00 €4.47

100.40%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$529 €472

44.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$10.7K €9,549

19.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$77.4 €69.1

15.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$23.32 €20.81

75.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$54.2 €48.39

95.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$104 €93.1

0.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$497 €444

60.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$394 €352

54.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$751 €670

108.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$653 €583

62.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,033 €2,707

43.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,276 €2,031

42.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$966 €862

80.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.67

-21.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Horta: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Horta

$394 32.4% 35.1% $213

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Horta

$253 20.7% 12.1% $35

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Horta

$150 12.3% 41.6% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Horta

$190 15.6% 1.2% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Horta

$117 9.6% 24% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Horta

$58 4.8% 13.3% $8.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Horta

$57 4.7% 49.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $497 in Horta. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 80% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $31.00 in Horta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $253 – making Horta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Horta

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

11:45 11:45 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

14,334

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Horta 4,340 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Horta

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 Horta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,206 in Horta – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,808 in Horta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Horta, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 44% less in Horta. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $529 in Horta. 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 Horta, where all-in costs run around $1,206, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Horta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia 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 $1,206 in Horta to $1,589 in Sofia. 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 Horta. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.