Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Lija

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,972 in Lija, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Lija
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Lija Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Lija

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,972

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Lija

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,972 in Lija, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Lija $1,972

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $3,209 in Lija, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Lija $3,209

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $4,446 in Lija, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Lija $4,446

Sofia is about 19% cheaper than Lija, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Lija sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Lija by 46%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$22.27 €19.81

-24.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$91.0 €81.0

-27.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$13.14 €11.69

-13.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.13 €2.79

9.58%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.42 €2.15

-0.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.97 €1.75

-6.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.45 €4.85

-32.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$6.71 €5.97

-31.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.33 €1.18

51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.41 €1.25

10.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.46 €3.08

-32.66%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$4.22 €3.76

3.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.49 €9.33

12.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.19 €10.84

-27.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$18.21 €16.20

-4.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.86 €3.44

-44.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.74 €2.44

-27.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.83 €3.40

-49.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.69 €3.28

14.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.92 €1.71

-45.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$3.42 €3.04

-75.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.19 €1.95

-47.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.54 €1.37

-42.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.36 €5.66

-33.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.11 €5.44

22.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.37 €2.11

-51.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.28 €2.03

-18.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.37 €2.11

-63.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.95 €3.52

-57.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.78 €1.58

-47.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$32.04 €28.50

-52.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.52 €1.35

11.18%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.8K €24.7K

7.13%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$39.1K €34.8K

-33.16%

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

$156 BGN 272

$156 €138

0.30%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$31.66 €28.16

-31.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$28.94 €25.75

-47.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$70.5 €62.7

-34.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$11.36 €10.11

-10.39%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$279 €248

177.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$12.2K €10.9K

4.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$57.8 €51.4

55.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$68.0 €60.5

-39.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$111 €98.8

-5.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$130 €116

-18.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,106 €984

-29.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$819 €728

-27.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,794 €1,595

-15.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,693 €1,506

-39.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,111 €3,657

5.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,697 €2,399

17.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.05

-28.64%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Lija: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Lija

$819 41.5% 37.2% $222

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Lija

$343 17.4% 18.1% $53

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Lija

$313 15.9% 23% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Lija

$216 11% 12.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Lija

$165 8.4% 7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Lija

$93 4.7% 40.2% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Lija

$22 * 1.1% 41.9% $16

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $1,106 in Lija. 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 $91.0 in Lija. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $343 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇹 Lija

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,200

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Lija 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Lija

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 Lija: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,972 in Lija – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,958 in Lija. 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 $1,972 in Lija. That's a gap of about 24%.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $279 in Lija. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Lija at $1,972. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lija 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 $1,972 in Lija. 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, Lija makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.