Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Madeira

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Madeira: $1,589 and $1,597 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
Learn more

Madeira Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Madeira

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,597 in Madeira.

Sofia $1,589
Madeira $1,597

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $2,383 in Madeira.

Sofia $2,456
Madeira $2,383

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $3,169 in Madeira.

Sofia $3,324
Madeira $3,169

Monthly costs are close between Sofia and Madeira; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 19% above, Madeira 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$11.62 €10.37

47.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$46.16 €41.19

44.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$9.12 €8.14

29.06%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.10 €1.88

62.86%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.85 €1.65

30.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.43 €1.27

30.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.27 €2.03

46.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.54 €3.16

27.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.09 €0.98

76.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.53 €1.37

-1.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.60 €1.43

38.12%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$2.99 €2.67

47.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$11.53 €10.29

0.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.69 €6.86

14.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$14.00 €12.49

21.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.35 €2.10

-7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.41 €1.26

44.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.80 €1.61

2.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.50 €2.23

71.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.51 €1.34

-31.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.92 €1.72

-51.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.55 €1.38

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.84 €0.75

9.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$6.04 €5.39

-28.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$5.22 €4.66

40.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.30 €1.16

-9.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.32 €2.07

-19.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$2.36 €2.11

-63.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$42.32 €37.77

-33.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$4.28 €3.82

-59.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.79 €0.71

21.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$17.53 €15.65

-11.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.90 €1.69

-5.79%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$35.4K €31.6K

-15.23%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$39.1K €34.9K

-32.53%

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

$156 BGN 273

$134 €120

16.39%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$20.90 €18.65

1.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$41.95 €37.44

-62.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$43.41 €38.74

7.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$17.37 €15.50

59.70%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.35 €7.45

20.00%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$473 €422

62.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$8,183 €7,303

56.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$74.7 €66.7

20.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$38.11 €34.01

7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$91.9 €82.0

15.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$92.8 €82.8

12.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$914 €816

-12.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$717 €640

-15.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,446 €1,291

8.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,145 €1,021

-7.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,012 €2,688

44.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,356 €2,103

37.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.01

-42.32%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Madeira: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Madeira

$717 45.1% 18.1% $110

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Madeira

$246 15.5% 14.5% $42

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Madeira

$177 11.1% 30.8% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Madeira

$197 12.4% 2.1% $4

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Madeira

$134 8.4% 12.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 10% $6.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Madeira

$60 3.8% 57.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $914 in Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $67.0 in Sofia vs $46.00 in Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $246 per month, with Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Madeira

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

07:06 7:06 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

154

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Madeira 3,670 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Madeira

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 Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

You'd need roughly $2,384 in Sofia and $2,395 in Madeira to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $796 in Sofia versus $914 in Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $766 in Sofia versus $473 in Madeira. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $46.00 in Madeira. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,597 in Madeira, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Madeira. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Madeira, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Madeira are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Sofia wins on affordability, Madeira on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.