Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Imola

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,756 in Imola, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
86

Cost of Living Index in Imola
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Imola Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Imola

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,756

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Imola

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,756 in Imola, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Imola $1,756

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,685 in Imola, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Imola $2,685

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,613 in Imola, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Imola $3,613

Sofia is about 9% cheaper than Imola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Imola sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Imola by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$23.54 €20.94

-28.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$68.2 €60.7

-3.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.01 €9.79

2.82%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.55 €1.37

121.29%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.98 €1.76

21.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.99 €0.88

86.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$4.37 €3.89

-15.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.36 €2.99

36.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.36 €1.21

48.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.04 €1.81

-23.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.73 €1.54

34.68%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.33 €2.96

30.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$25.79 €22.94

-54.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.76 €8.68

-9.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$21.51 €19.14

-18.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.96 €2.63

-27.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.27 €2.02

-12.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.34 €2.97

-42.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.27 €2.91

29.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.66 €1.48

-37.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.10 €0.98

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.40 €0.36

187.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.28 €0.25

217.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.26 €6.45

-42.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.47 €4.87

36.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.71 €1.52

-32.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.97 €1.75

-6.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.47 €1.30

-40.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$31.63 €28.14

-9.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.61 €3.21

-53.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.22 €1.08

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$27.70 €24.64

-44.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.98 €1.77

-14.65%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.8K €29.2K

-9.11%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.4K €31.5K

-26.24%

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

$156 BGN 272

$242 €215

-35.41%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$11.23 €9.99

91.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$32.55 €28.95

-53.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$77.5 €68.9

-40.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$8.31 €7.39

235.98%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$10.55 €9.38

-3.51%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$649 €577

19.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$14.0K €12.5K

-8.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$95.7 €85.1

-6.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$28.42 €25.28

45.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$94.3 €83.8

11.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$94.9 €84.4

12.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$668 €594

17.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$565 €503

5.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,316 €1,170

15.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$967 €860

6.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,821 €2,509

54.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,953 €1,737

62.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,119 €1,885

-18.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.16

-8.54%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Imola: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Imola

$565 32.2% 5.3% $32

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Imola

$339 19.3% 16.6% $48

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Imola

$280 16% 10% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Imola

$285 16.3% 48% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Imola

$141 8% 8.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Imola

$99 5.6% 48.3% $32

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Imola

$47 2.7% 23% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $668 in Imola. 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 22% higher in Imola, 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $68.0 in Imola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $339 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Imola

🕒 Local time

17:37 5:37 PM

16:37 4:37 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

69,797

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Imola 950 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Imola

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 Imola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,756 in Imola – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,634 in Imola. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,756 in Imola. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Imola at $1,756. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Imola 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 $1,594 in Sofia to $1,756 in Imola. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Imola makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.