Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Loures

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Loures: $1,594 and $1,526 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Loures
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Loures Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Loures

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Loures

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,526 in Loures, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Loures $1,526

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,329 in Loures, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Loures $2,329

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,133 in Loures, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Loures $3,133

Sofia costs about 4% more than Loures, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Loures sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Loures by 13%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$12.37 €11.00

36.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$56.7 €50.4

16.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.79 €7.82

28.78%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.48 €2.20

38.31%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.63 €1.45

47.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.16 €1.03

59.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.74 €2.44

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.45 €3.07

32.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.07 €0.95

88.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.25 €1.12

24.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.57 €1.40

48.41%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.44 €3.06

26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.11 €8.10

29.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.61 €6.77

16.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$15.12 €13.45

15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.85 €2.53

-24.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.27 €1.13

55.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.77 €1.57

9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.22 €1.97

90.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.06 €1.83

-49.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.64 €1.46

-48.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.50 €1.33

-23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.63 €0.56

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.76 €5.12

-26.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$3.31 €2.95

125.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.88 €0.78

30.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.39 €2.13

-22.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.26 €2.01

-61.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$41.64 €37.03

-31.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.87 €3.44

-56.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.80 €0.71

17.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.95 €15.08

-9.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.13 €1.90

-20.66%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.0K €29.4K

-9.76%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.9K €33.7K

-31.02%

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

$156 BGN 272

$99.0 €88.1

57.67%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.81 €18.51

3.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$34.77 €30.93

-56.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$46.98 €41.78

-1.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$16.37 €14.56

70.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.98 €7.10

27.57%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$581 €516

33.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.0K €9,759

16.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$67.2 €59.8

33.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$44.34 €39.44

-6.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$71.8 €63.9

46.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$94.6 €84.2

12.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$995 €885

-21.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$705 €627

-15.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,379 €1,227

9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,195 €1,063

-13.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,025 €2,690

43.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,540 €2,259

25.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$846 €753

105.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.55

-18.59%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Loures: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Loures

$705 46.2% 18.1% $108

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Loures

$233 15.3% 19.8% $58

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Loures

$187 12.2% 26.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Loures

$155 10.1% 19.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Loures

$125 8.2% 19% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Loures

$63 4.1% 5.3% $3.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Loures

$59 3.8% 52.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $995 in Loures. 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 105% higher in Sofia, 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 $57.0 in Loures. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $233 – making Loures the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Loures

🕒 Local time

18:29 6:29 PM

16:29 4:29 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

201,632

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Loures 2,750 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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Loures

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 Loures: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 4%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,288 in Loures. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Loures, 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 $1,526 in Loures. That's a gap of about 4%.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Loures. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Loures, where all-in costs run around $1,526, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Loures it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Loures – 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 Loures. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.