Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Marsta

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Marsta: $1,594 and $1,642 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Marsta
Learn more

Marsta Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Marsta

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Marsta

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,642 in Marsta, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Marsta $1,642

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,549 in Marsta, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Marsta $2,549

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,456 in Marsta, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Marsta $3,456

Sofia is about 3% cheaper than Marsta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Marsta sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Marsta by 22%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.20 SEK 131

27.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$65.8 SEK 652

-0.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.22 SEK 101

10.76%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.42 SEK 43.82

-22.40%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.00 SEK 19.85

20.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.75 SEK 17.30

5.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.12 SEK 70.6

-48.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$6.78 SEK 67.2

-32.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.69 SEK 16.77

19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.04 SEK 30.15

-48.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$5.64 SEK 55.9

-58.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.57 SEK 35.39

22.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$13.48 SEK 134

-12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.95 SEK 88.7

-1.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.90 SEK 167

3.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.03 SEK 30.05

-29.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-25.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.96 SEK 19.43

-1.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.72 SEK 36.89

13.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.41 SEK 13.98

-26.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.48 SEK 14.66

-42.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.95 SEK 19.31

-41.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.83 SEK 18.10

-51.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.15 SEK 70.9

-41.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$10.10 SEK 100

-26.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.87 SEK 18.56

-38.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.03 SEK 20.13

-8.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.36 SEK 33.27

-74.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$75.8 SEK 751

-62.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$13.16 SEK 130

-87.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.00 SEK 19.86

-53.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$56.4 SEK 559

-72.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.74 SEK 17.20

-2.87%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.4K SEK 321.1K

-8.05%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.5K SEK 321.9K

-19.56%

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

$156 BGN 272

$60.2 SEK 597

159.14%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$27.96 SEK 277

-22.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$39.22 SEK 389

-61.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.67 SEK 373

22.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$26.55 SEK 263

5.16%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.03 SEK 159

-36.49%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$216 SEK 2,137

259.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,033 SEK 49.9K

154.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$49.36 SEK 489

82.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.13 SEK 299

37.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.4 SEK 885

17.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$100 SEK 995

6.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$802 SEK 7,943

-2.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$610 SEK 6,042

-2.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,347 SEK 13.3K

12.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,005 SEK 9,954

2.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,974 SEK 39.4K

9.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,757 SEK 27.3K

15.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$4,563 SEK 45.2K

-61.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.8

3.21%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Marsta: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Marsta

$610 37.1% 2.2% $13

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Marsta

$348 21.2% 19.9% $58

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Marsta

$254 15.4% 0.5% $1.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Marsta

$127 7.8% 33.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Marsta

$121 7.4% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Marsta

$70 4.3% 4.9% $3.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Marsta

$112 6.8% 193% $74

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $802 in Marsta. 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 163% higher in Marsta, 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 $66.0 in Marsta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $348 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Marsta

🕒 Local time

13:14 1:14 PM

12:14 12:14 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

24,068

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Marsta 1,920 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Marsta

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 Marsta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Marsta is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,464 in Marsta. 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 $66.0 in Sofia and $66.0 in Marsta. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,642 in Marsta. That's a gap of about 3%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Marsta at $1,642. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Marsta it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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