Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Maia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $2,182 in Maia, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Maia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Maia
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Maia Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Maia

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Maia

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $2,182 in Maia, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Maia $2,182

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $2,718 in Maia, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Maia $2,718

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $3,254 in Maia, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Maia $3,254

Sofia is about 27% cheaper than Maia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Maia sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Maia by 61%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$11.42 €10.16

48.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$50.0 €44.49

36.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$8.88 €7.90

30.86%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.00 €1.78

71.50%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.93 €1.71

21.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.45 €1.29

26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.23 €1.98

52.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$4.01 €3.57

10.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.10 €0.98

79.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.69 €1.50

-11.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.53 €1.37

52.29%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.89 €2.57

52.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$13.29 €11.82

-13.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$7.93 €7.05

11.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$14.73 €13.10

18.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.23 €1.98

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.74 €1.55

18.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.07 €1.84

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$2.33 €2.07

82.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$2.22 €1.97

-53.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$2.19 €1.95

-59.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.93 €0.82

27.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.10 €0.98

-19.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$6.62 €5.89

-36.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$4.61 €4.10

70.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.31 €1.17

-9.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$2.46 €2.19

-23.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.47 €2.20

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$44.74 €39.80

-36.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.55 €4.04

-63.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.44 €1.28

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$16.93 €15.06

-9.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.10 €1.87

-15.71%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$32.3K €28.7K

-5.48%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$38.5K €34.2K

-34.82%

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

$157 BGN 273

$106 €94.3

48.12%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$20.07 €17.85

5.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$38.05 €33.84

-59.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$44.89 €39.93

3.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$34.01 €30.25

-17.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$8.65 €7.70

16.07%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$439 €390

76.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$6,437 €5,726

94.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$111 €98.9

-20.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$22.04 €19.60

87.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$75.9 €67.5

40.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$106 €94.0

0.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$1,072 €953

-28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$1,313 €1,168

-54.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,706 €1,518

-8.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$1,242 €1,105

-16.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$3,036 €2,701

50.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,673 €1,488

89.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,420 €1,263

22.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.7

-21.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Maia: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Maia

$1.3K 60.2% 118% $711

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Maia

$259 11.9% 10.8% $32

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Maia

$175 8% 31.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Maia

$164 7.5% 15.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Maia

$142 6.5% 8.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Maia

$62 2.9% 6.4% $4.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Maia

$66 3% 72.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $1,072 in Maia. 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 23% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Sofia versus $50.0 in Maia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $259 – making Maia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Maia

🕒 Local time

00:06 12:06 AM

22:06 10:06 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

134,988

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Maia 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Maia

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 Maia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Maia costs about 36% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $3,273 in Maia. 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 $68.0 in Sofia and $50.0 in Maia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,600 in Sofia and $2,182 in Maia. That's a gap of about 36%.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Maia at $2,182. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Maia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,600 versus $2,182 in Maia. 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, Maia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.