Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Malmo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,046 in Malmo, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
99

Cost of Living Index in Malmo
Learn more

Malmo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Malmo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,046

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Malmo

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $2,046 in Malmo, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Malmo $2,046

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $3,083 in Malmo, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Malmo $3,083

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $4,121 in Malmo, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Malmo $4,121

Sofia is about 22% cheaper than Malmo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Malmo sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Malmo by 53%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$14.90 SEK 149

14.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$74.0 SEK 740

-9.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$12.18 SEK 122

-3.37%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$4.83 SEK 48.23

-29.19%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$3.35 SEK 33.52

-27.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$2.70 SEK 26.97

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$8.46 SEK 84.5

-60.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$9.10 SEK 90.9

-50.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.73 SEK 17.26

10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$2.87 SEK 28.67

-47.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.32 SEK 33.22

-33.43%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.11 SEK 41.10

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$12.74 SEK 127

-9.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$11.86 SEK 119

-25.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$21.61 SEK 216

-21.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.99 SEK 29.93

-27.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.58 SEK 25.82

-20.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.96 SEK 29.61

-37.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$4.15 SEK 41.43

3.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.66 SEK 16.62

-37.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.53 SEK 15.29

-39.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$2.47 SEK 24.65

-51.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.23 SEK 12.24

-25.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.72 SEK 77.1

-44.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$11.53 SEK 115

-36.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.01 SEK 20.05

-41.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.34 SEK 23.43

-20.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$3.15 SEK 31.45

-72.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$63.5 SEK 635

-55.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$6.00 SEK 59.9

-71.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.41 SEK 24.07

-60.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$49.13 SEK 491

-68.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.74 SEK 17.36

2.87%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$32.3K SEK 322.6K

-7.11%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$33.2K SEK 331.5K

-20.50%

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

$156 BGN 273

$138 SEK 1,380

12.91%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$26.21 SEK 262

-19.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$36.07 SEK 361

-56.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$39.93 SEK 399

17.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$28.69 SEK 287

-3.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$17.17 SEK 172

-41.64%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$167 SEK 1,666

359.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$3,311 SEK 33.1K

286.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$98.0 SEK 979

-8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$44.19 SEK 442

-7.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$113 SEK 1,125

-5.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$152 SEK 1,520

-31.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,063 SEK 10.6K

-25.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$818 SEK 8,173

-25.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,720 SEK 17.2K

-9.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,354 SEK 13.5K

-21.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$4,026 SEK 40.2K

8.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$3,166 SEK 31.6K

2.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$3,045 SEK 30.4K

-42.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.05

-5.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Malmo: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Malmo

$818 40.1% 34.6% $210

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Malmo

$372 18.2% 29.3% $84

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Malmo

$298 14.6% 16.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Malmo

$200 9.8% 3.9% $7.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Malmo

$183 9% 19.2% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Malmo

$74 3.6% 11.2% $7.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Malmo

$94 4.6% 147% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,063 in Malmo. 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 75% higher in Malmo, 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $74.0 in Malmo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $372 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Malmo

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

07:17 7:17 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

316,588

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Malmo 1,620 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Malmo

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 Malmo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Malmo costs about 29% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $3,069 in Malmo. 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 $766 per month in Sofia and $167 in Malmo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% more in Malmo, 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 $1,589, than in Malmo at $2,046. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Malmo it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $2,046 in Malmo. 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, Malmo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.