Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Iglesias

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Iglesias: $1,594 and $1,563 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Iglesias
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Iglesias Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Iglesias

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,563

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Iglesias

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,563 in Iglesias.

Sofia $1,594
Iglesias $1,563

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,439 in Iglesias.

Sofia $2,478
Iglesias $2,439

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,316 in Iglesias.

Sofia $3,361
Iglesias $3,316

Living in Sofia is roughly 2% more expensive than in Iglesias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Iglesias 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$21.87 €19.46

-22.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$67.0 €59.6

-1.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.99 €9.78

3.00%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.92 €1.71

78.65%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.77 €2.46

-13.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.09 €0.97

69.72%

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

$5.11 €4.55

-10.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.11 €0.99

81.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.10 €0.98

41.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.71 €1.52

36.26%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.39 €3.01

28.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$16.91 €15.04

-30.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.34 €6.53

20.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$7.44 €6.62

134.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.61 €2.32

-17.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.78 €1.58

11.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.24 €1.99

-13.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.68 €1.50

152.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.96 €1.74

-46.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.22 €1.97

-61.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.48 €1.31

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.52 €0.47

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.33 €5.63

-33.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.07 €4.51

47.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.64 €1.46

-29.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.82 €1.61

1.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.66 €1.47

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$36.33 €32.32

-21.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$9.50 €8.45

-82.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.50 €1.33

-37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$31.17 €27.73

-50.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.90 €1.69

-11.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.2K €29.6K

-10.38%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.9K €31.9K

-27.13%

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

$156 BGN 272

$158 €140

-0.93%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$8.75 €7.78

146.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$29.46 €26.21

-48.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$49.85 €44.34

-7.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$27.18 €24.18

2.72%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.92 €7.93

14.13%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$531 €472

45.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$8,070 €7,178

58.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$95.0 €84.5

-5.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$42.76 €38.04

-3.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$93.7 €83.4

12.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$116 €103

-7.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$712 €633

9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$561 €499

6.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,170 €1,040

29.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,002 €892

2.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,712 €2,412

60.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,767 €1,572

79.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.27

-11.62%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Iglesias: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Iglesias

$561 35.9% 6% $36

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Iglesias

$238 15.2% 18.1% $53

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Iglesias

$284 18.2% 11.6% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Iglesias

$196 12.5% 1.5% $2.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Iglesias

$156 10% 1.2% $1.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Iglesias

$68 4.3% 1.9% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Iglesias

$60 3.8% 56.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $712 in Iglesias. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $67.0 in Iglesias. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $238, with Iglesias cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Iglesias

🕒 Local time

06:31 6:31 AM

05:31 5:31 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

28,170

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Iglesias 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Iglesias

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 Iglesias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Iglesias differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,563 including rent). Iglesias is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,344 in Iglesias 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $712 in Iglesias. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Iglesias – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,563 in Iglesias versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Iglesias but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Iglesias 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 Iglesias 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 Iglesias gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.