Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Matera

For one person, living is cheaper in Matera: $1,472 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Matera
Learn more

Matera Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Matera

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,472

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Matera

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,472 in Matera, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Matera $1,472

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,358 in Matera, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Matera $2,358

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,245 in Matera, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Matera $3,245

Sofia costs about 8% more than Matera, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Matera sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Matera by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$14.87 €13.23

13.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$62.0 €55.1

6.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.08 €9.86

2.17%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.82 €1.62

88.46%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.21 €1.96

9.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.13 €1.01

63.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.49 €4.88

-32.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.27 €2.91

40.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.52 €1.35

32.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.62 €1.44

-3.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.26 €2.90

-28.53%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.55 €3.16

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$15.56 €13.84

-24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.28 €10.92

-28.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$20.54 €18.27

-15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.51 €2.23

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.09 €1.86

-5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.10 €0.98

75.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.72 €3.30

13.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.78 €1.58

-41.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.69 €1.50

-49.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.48 €1.32

-22.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.43 €0.38

106.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.77 €6.03

-37.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.15 €5.47

21.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.79 €1.59

-35.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.04 €2.70

-39.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.74 €1.55

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$20.36 €18.11

40.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.41 €3.92

-61.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.26 €1.12

-25.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$23.36 €20.78

-34.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.96 €1.75

-13.78%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.3K €32.3K

-17.82%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.6K €31.7K

-26.63%

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

$156 BGN 272

$203 €180

-23.05%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.48 €8.43

127.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$31.11 €27.67

-51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$54.8 €48.77

-15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$23.98 €21.33

16.43%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$11.19 €9.95

-9.03%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$453 €403

70.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$8,017 €7,131

59.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$67.0 €59.6

34.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$42.36 €37.68

-2.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$103 €91.3

2.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$134 €119

-20.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$697 €620

12.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$413 €367

44.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,059 €942

43.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$867 €771

18.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,726 €2,425

59.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,234 €2,877

-1.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,759 €1,564

-1.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.08

-6.17%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matera: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Matera

$413 28% 30.9% $184

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Matera

$324 22% 11.4% $33

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Matera

$221 15% 13.1% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Matera

$243 16.5% 26.2% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Matera

$156 10.6% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Matera

$77 5.3% 16.2% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Matera

$38 2.6% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $697 in Matera. 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 1% higher in Matera, 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $62.0 in Matera. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $324 in Matera – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Matera

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

03:47 3:47 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

59,607

💱 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Matera 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Matera

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 Matera: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 8% more than Matera, 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 $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,208 in Matera. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matera, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 40% less in Matera. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $453 in Matera. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Matera, where all-in costs run around $1,472, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Matera it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Matera costs $1,472 versus $1,594 in Sofia. 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 Matera. 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.