Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,726 in Kista, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. The total is higher in Kista despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
84

Cost of Living Index in Kista
Learn more

Kista Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kista

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kista

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,726 in Kista, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Kista $1,726

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

Sofia $2,478
Kista $2,685

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,644 in Kista, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Kista $3,644

Sofia is about 8% cheaper than Kista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Kista sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Kista by 28%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$12.98 SEK 129

29.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$75.9 SEK 752

-13.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.22 SEK 101

10.76%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.44 SEK 44.02

-22.75%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.59 SEK 25.65

-6.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.20 SEK 21.83

-15.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.07 SEK 70.1

-47.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$7.28 SEK 72.1

-37.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.64 SEK 16.27

23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.69 SEK 26.68

-42.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.51 SEK 34.75

-33.62%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$4.24 SEK 42.04

2.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.67 SEK 116

0.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$11.62 SEK 115

-24.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$17.38 SEK 172

0.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.05 SEK 30.22

-29.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.48 SEK 24.53

-20.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.89 SEK 28.60

-33.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.30 SEK 42.59

-1.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.62 SEK 16.01

-35.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.56 SEK 15.49

-45.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.28 SEK 22.56

-49.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.45 SEK 14.33

-38.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.22 SEK 71.6

-41.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$9.69 SEK 96.0

-23.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.95 SEK 19.29

-41.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.13 SEK 21.15

-13.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.27 SEK 32.41

-73.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$76.2 SEK 755

-62.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$6.01 SEK 59.5

-72.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.71 SEK 16.99

-45.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$58.4 SEK 579

-73.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.79 SEK 17.70

-5.59%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.5K SEK 322.2K

-8.35%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.1K SEK 327.9K

-21.02%

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

$156 BGN 272

$102 SEK 1,013

52.71%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$23.99 SEK 238

-10.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$37.81 SEK 375

-59.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.48 SEK 371

22.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$25.74 SEK 255

8.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.18 SEK 160

-37.08%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$154 SEK 1,522

404.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,003 SEK 49.6K

155.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$90.7 SEK 898

-0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.01 SEK 396

3.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.3 SEK 885

17.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$140 SEK 1,383

-23.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$795 SEK 7,877

-1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$619 SEK 6,131

-3.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,317 SEK 13.0K

15.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,016 SEK 10.1K

1.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,969 SEK 39.3K

9.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,749 SEK 27.2K

15.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.45

-16.23%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kista: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kista

$619 35.9% 3.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kista

$351 20.3% 20.7% $60

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kista

$257 14.9% 0.8% $2.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kista

$164 9.5% 15% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kista

$162 9.4% 4.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kista

$70 4.1% 5.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kista

$104 6% 171% $65

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $795 in Kista. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $76.0 in Kista. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $351 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Kista

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

10,254

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Kista 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kista

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 Kista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kista costs about 8% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,589 in Kista. 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 $1,726 in Kista. That's a gap of about 8%.

Public transport costs about 167% 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 Kista at $1,726. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kista it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $1,726 in Kista. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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