Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Karlskrona

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Karlskrona: $1,594 and $1,617 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Karlskrona

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,617 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Karlskrona $1,617

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,525 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Karlskrona $2,525

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,434 in Karlskrona, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Karlskrona $3,434

Sofia is about 1% cheaper than Karlskrona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Karlskrona sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Karlskrona by 20%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$12.71 SEK 126

32.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$63.9 SEK 633

3.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.79 SEK 87.1

28.78%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.96 SEK 39.23

-13.38%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.30 SEK 12.90

85.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.19 SEK 21.71

-15.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.04 SEK 69.8

-47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.09 SEK 50.5

-10.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.45 SEK 14.36

39.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.78 SEK 27.50

-43.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.60 SEK 35.72

-35.28%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$4.38 SEK 43.41

-0.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.82 SEK 107

8.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$13.33 SEK 132

-33.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$17.14 SEK 170

1.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.98 SEK 29.52

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.43 SEK 24.06

-18.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.97 SEK 29.43

-35.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.41 SEK 43.65

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.47 SEK 14.59

-29.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.53 SEK 15.20

-44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.10 SEK 20.82

-45.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.36 SEK 13.43

-34.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.19 SEK 71.2

-41.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$12.29 SEK 122

-39.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.99 SEK 19.74

-42.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.69 SEK 16.77

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.92 SEK 28.94

-70.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$69.8 SEK 691

-59.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$12.92 SEK 128

-87.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.02 SEK 20.00

-53.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$80.5 SEK 798

-80.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.73 SEK 17.18

-2.31%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

-10.70%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

-20.26%

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

$156 BGN 272

$51.5 SEK 510

203.36%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$27.15 SEK 269

-20.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$37.02 SEK 367

-58.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.67 SEK 413

10.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.12 SEK 160

-36.85%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$159 SEK 1,572

388.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$98.3 SEK 973

-8.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$20.03 SEK 198

106.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$79.0 SEK 783

33.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$171 SEK 1,698

-37.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$664 SEK 6,583

17.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$564 SEK 5,585

5.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

40.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$946 SEK 9,373

8.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

50.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

28.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

-30.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.22

-31.52%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Karlskrona

$564 34.9% 5.6% $33

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Karlskrona

$358 22.2% 23.3% $68

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Karlskrona

$235 14.5% 7.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Karlskrona

$116 7.2% 40.1% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Karlskrona

$166 10.3% 7.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Karlskrona

$74 4.6% 11.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Karlskrona

$104 6.5% 172% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $664 in Karlskrona. 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 43% higher in Karlskrona, 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 $64.0 in Karlskrona. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $358 in Karlskrona – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

35,212

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Karlskrona 1,600 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Karlskrona

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 Karlskrona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Karlskrona is pricier by about 1%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,425 in Karlskrona. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $64.0 in Karlskrona. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,617 in Karlskrona. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Karlskrona at $1,617. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlskrona it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.