Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Lidingo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,837 in Lidingo, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
89

Cost of Living Index in Lidingo
Learn more

Lidingo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Lidingo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Lidingo

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,837 in Lidingo, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Lidingo $1,837

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,809 in Lidingo, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Lidingo $2,809

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,780 in Lidingo, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Lidingo $3,780

Sofia is about 13% cheaper than Lidingo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Lidingo sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Lidingo by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.96 SEK 138

20.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$71.0 SEK 703

-7.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.31 SEK 112

0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.93 SEK 28.99

17.06%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.23 SEK 22.11

8.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.55 SEK 25.25

-27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$6.45 SEK 63.9

-42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.46 SEK 54.1

-16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.41 SEK 13.96

43.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.01 SEK 29.84

-48.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.52 SEK 34.87

-33.81%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.99 SEK 39.58

9.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$12.06 SEK 119

-2.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.87 SEK 128

-31.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$22.26 SEK 221

-21.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.15 SEK 31.25

-31.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.46 SEK 24.33

-19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.62 SEK 35.89

-46.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.48 SEK 44.43

-5.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.00 SEK 19.82

-48.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.84 SEK 18.22

-53.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.12 SEK 21.01

-45.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.50 SEK 14.89

-40.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.67 SEK 76.0

-45.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$13.48 SEK 134

-44.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.36 SEK 13.44

-15.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.18 SEK 21.62

-15.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.23 SEK 31.98

-73.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$76.5 SEK 758

-62.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.42 SEK 33.88

-50.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.47 SEK 24.51

-61.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$78.3 SEK 776

-80.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.72 SEK 17.06

-1.74%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.4K SEK 321.3K

-8.11%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.3K SEK 330.0K

-21.53%

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

$156 BGN 272

$183 SEK 1,817

-14.87%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$22.03 SEK 218

-2.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$43.11 SEK 427

-64.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.31 SEK 370

23.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$26.15 SEK 259

6.77%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.26 SEK 161

-37.39%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$151 SEK 1,499

411.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,992 SEK 49.5K

156.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$103 SEK 1,016

-12.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$39.95 SEK 396

3.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$87.4 SEK 866

20.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$136 SEK 1,347

-21.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$805 SEK 7,980

-2.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$623 SEK 6,174

-4.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,320 SEK 13.1K

14.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,033 SEK 10.2K

-0.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,954 SEK 39.2K

10.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,818 SEK 27.9K

12.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,491 SEK 24.7K

-30.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.53

-18.13%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lidingo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Lidingo

$623 33.9% 4.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Lidingo

$383 20.9% 31.9% $93

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Lidingo

$243 13.2% 4.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Lidingo

$248 13.5% 28.8% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Lidingo

$165 9% 6.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Lidingo

$70 3.8% 5.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Lidingo

$105 5.7% 174% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $805 in Lidingo. 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 44% higher in Lidingo, 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 $71.0 in Lidingo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $383 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Lidingo

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

12:58 12:58 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

48,541

💱 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 Lidingo 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Lidingo

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 Lidingo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,837 in Lidingo – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,756 in Lidingo. 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.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $151 in Lidingo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Lidingo, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Lidingo at $1,837. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lidingo 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 $1,837 in Lidingo. 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, Lidingo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.