Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Jonkoping

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,695 in Jonkoping, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Jonkoping despite lower rent and utilities.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Jonkoping
🇸🇪 Sweden
$1,695
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Jonkoping

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,695 in Jonkoping.

  • Sofia $1,594
  • Jonkoping $1,695

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,745 in Jonkoping.

  • Sofia $2,478
  • Jonkoping $2,745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,795 in Jonkoping.

  • Sofia $3,361
  • Jonkoping $3,795

Living in Sofia costs roughly 6% less than in Jonkoping, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Jonkoping 26% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 BGN 29.35
$12.84 SEK 127
31.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 BGN 115
$90.6 SEK 897
-27.35%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 BGN 19.69
$12.18 SEK 121
-7.06%
Cappuccino
$3.43 BGN 5.98
$4.41 SEK 43.69
-22.22%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 BGN 4.19
$1.99 SEK 19.76
21.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.22
$2.12 SEK 21.04
-12.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 BGN 6.44
$7.81 SEK 77.4
-52.62%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 BGN 7.97
$6.94 SEK 68.8
-34.01%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 BGN 3.51
$1.68 SEK 16.68
20.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 BGN 2.72
$2.07 SEK 20.49
-24.64%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 BGN 4.05
$3.55 SEK 35.15
-34.37%
Eggs
$4.36 BGN 7.59
$3.62 SEK 35.83
20.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 BGN 20.47
$12.23 SEK 121
-3.84%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 BGN 15.37
$11.58 SEK 115
-23.75%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.46 BGN 30.38
$15.42 SEK 153
13.23%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.74
$2.93 SEK 29.06
-26.62%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.44
$2.50 SEK 24.81
-20.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.37
$2.78 SEK 27.58
-30.58%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 BGN 7.37
$4.32 SEK 42.76
-1.85%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.80
$1.64 SEK 16.29
-36.59%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 BGN 1.48
$1.41 SEK 13.98
-39.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 BGN 2.00
$1.78 SEK 17.66
-35.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 BGN 1.56
$0.98 SEK 9.67
-9.18%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 BGN 7.33
$8.03 SEK 79.5
-47.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.46 BGN 12.98
$11.08 SEK 110
-32.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 BGN 2.01
$1.73 SEK 17.13
-33.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.23
$2.30 SEK 22.84
-19.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.51
$3.93 SEK 38.94
-77.86%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.53 BGN 49.65
$75.8 SEK 751
-62.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.93
$4.85 SEK 48.10
-65.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 BGN 1.63
$1.12 SEK 11.10
-16.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.35 BGN 26.70
$40.66 SEK 403
-62.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 BGN 2.94
$1.73 SEK 17.12
-2.31%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
$32.5K SEK 321.7K
-8.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
$33.1K SEK 328.1K
-21.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 BGN 272
$77.7 SEK 769
101.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.56 BGN 37.52
$27.93 SEK 277
-22.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.24 BGN 26.51
$41.28 SEK 409
-63.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.08 BGN 80.2
$42.84 SEK 425
7.56%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.92 BGN 48.58
$30.18 SEK 299
-7.49%
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 BGN 17.72
$14.74 SEK 146
-30.94%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 BGN 1,347
$156 SEK 1,543
397.21%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 BGN 157
$81.2 SEK 805
10.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 BGN 71.8
$25.12 SEK 249
64.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 BGN 183
$99.4 SEK 985
5.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 186
$121 SEK 1,196
-11.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$783 BGN 1,362
$892 SEK 8,835
-12.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 BGN 1,038
$634 SEK 6,284
-5.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,516 BGN 2,638
$1,330 SEK 13.2K
14.00%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 BGN 1,792
$1,172 SEK 11.6K
-12.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,350 BGN 7,568
$3,454 SEK 34.2K
25.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,177 BGN 5,528
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Jonkoping
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,735 BGN 3,019
$2,833 SEK 28.1K
-38.75%
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 Jonkoping: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$597
Jonkoping
$634 6.3% $37
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$290
Jonkoping
$331 14.1% $41
Eating Out
Sofia
$255
Jonkoping
$262 2.7% $6.8
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$193
Jonkoping
$147 23.9% $46
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Jonkoping
$147 4.9% $7.5
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$66
Jonkoping
$72 8.8% $5.9
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Jonkoping
$102 166% $64

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $892 in Jonkoping. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jonkoping pays 63% 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 $91.0 in Jonkoping for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $331 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇸🇪 Jonkoping
🕒 Local time
11:15 11:15 AM
10:15 10:15 AM
1 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
84,423
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Jonkoping 1,800 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Jonkoping

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 Jonkoping: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Jonkoping cheaper than Sofia?
Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sofia or Jonkoping?
On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Jonkoping. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
What is the rent difference between Sofia and Jonkoping?
Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $892 in Jonkoping. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $156 in Jonkoping. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Sofia and in Jonkoping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 14% higher in Jonkoping. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Sofia or in Jonkoping?
At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,695 in Jonkoping, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Jonkoping. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Sofia or Jonkoping more family-friendly?
For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Jonkoping, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Jonkoping?
Safety-wise, Sofia and Jonkoping are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Jonkoping. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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