Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and La Chaux-de-Fonds

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent and utilities included – about $16,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
144

Cost of Living Index in La Chaux-de-Fonds
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La Chaux-de-Fonds Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

La Chaux-de-Fonds

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
La Chaux-de-Fonds $2,965

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $4,731 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
La Chaux-de-Fonds $4,731

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $6,498 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
La Chaux-de-Fonds $6,498

Sofia is about 46% cheaper than La Chaux-de-Fonds, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and La Chaux-de-Fonds sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, La Chaux-de-Fonds by 120%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$24.06 CHF 19.81

-29.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$84.7 CHF 69.8

-22.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$18.02 CHF 14.84

-37.18%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.67 CHF 3.85

-26.55%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.55 CHF 2.93

-32.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$4.48 CHF 3.69

-58.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.26 CHF 5.98

-49.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.85 CHF 4.82

-21.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$2.18 CHF 1.79

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.97 CHF 2.45

-47.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.22 CHF 2.65

-27.64%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$7.74 CHF 6.37

-43.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$25.32 CHF 20.85

-53.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$26.73 CHF 22.01

-66.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$41.67 CHF 34.32

-58.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.66 CHF 3.01

-41.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.35 CHF 1.93

-15.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.93 CHF 2.41

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.50 CHF 3.70

-5.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.66 CHF 1.37

-37.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.90 CHF 1.57

-55.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.24 CHF 1.85

-48.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.56 CHF 1.28

-42.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$10.96 CHF 9.03

-61.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$11.96 CHF 9.85

-37.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.44 CHF 2.01

-52.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.00 CHF 2.47

-38.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$4.63 CHF 3.81

-81.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$98.1 CHF 80.8

-70.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$7.72 CHF 6.36

-78.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$4.46 CHF 3.68

-78.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$84.5 CHF 69.6

-81.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.35 CHF 1.94

-28.09%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$42.9K CHF 35.4K

-30.57%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-33.90%

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

$156 BGN 272

$291 CHF 239

-46.29%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$45.30 CHF 37.31

-52.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$64.5 CHF 53.1

-76.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$73.2 CHF 60.3

-37.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$45.07 CHF 37.12

-38.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$22.43 CHF 18.47

-54.61%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$2,924 CHF 2,408

-73.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$20.1K CHF 16.6K

-36.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$147 CHF 121

-38.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$79.1 CHF 65.1

-47.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$161 CHF 133

-34.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$197 CHF 162

-45.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,463 CHF 1,205

-46.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,079 CHF 889

-44.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$3,904 CHF 3,215

-61.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,324 CHF 1,914

-55.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$16.2K CHF 13.4K

-73.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$12.3K CHF 10.1K

-74.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$5,068 CHF 4,174

-65.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.42

19.42%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for La Chaux-de-Fonds: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$1.1K 36.4% 80.9% $483

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$575 19.4% 98% $285

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$383 12.9% 50.2% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$400 13.5% 108% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$263 8.9% 70.1% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$118 4% 77.6% $52

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

La Chaux-de-Fonds

$147 5% 282% $108

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,463 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 192% higher in La Chaux-de-Fonds, 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 $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $575 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇭 La Chaux-de-Fonds

🕒 Local time

17:01 5:01 PM

16:01 4:01 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

39,027

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia La Chaux-de-Fonds 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
La Chaux-de-Fonds

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 La Chaux-de-Fonds: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

La Chaux-de-Fonds costs about 86% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $4,447 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $85.0 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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 $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. That's a gap of about 86%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in La Chaux-de-Fonds at $2,965. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in La Chaux-de-Fonds it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $2,965 in La Chaux-de-Fonds. 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, La Chaux-de-Fonds makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.