Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Matosinhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,926 in Matosinhos, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Matosinhos outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
93

Cost of Living Index in Matosinhos
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Matosinhos Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Matosinhos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,926

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Matosinhos

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,926 in Matosinhos.

Sofia $1,594
Matosinhos $1,926

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,803 in Matosinhos.

Sofia $2,478
Matosinhos $2,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,680 in Matosinhos.

Sofia $3,361
Matosinhos $3,680

Living in Sofia costs roughly 17% less than in Matosinhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Matosinhos 43% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.41 €11.93

25.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$47.70 €42.43

37.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.91 €8.81

14.23%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.69 €2.40

27.51%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.07 €1.84

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.51 €1.34

22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.19 €1.94

68.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.30 €2.94

38.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.11 €0.98

81.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.68 €1.50

-7.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.70 €1.52

37.06%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.36 €2.99

29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.61 €10.33

1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.21 €6.42

22.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.34 €12.76

21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.18 €1.94

-1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.50 €1.33

32.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.79 €1.59

7.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.47 €2.20

71.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.62 €1.44

-35.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.86 €1.66

-54.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.53 €1.36

-24.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.77 €0.68

15.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.43 €5.72

-34.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.55 €4.94

34.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.37 €1.22

-16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.07 €1.84

-10.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.70 €2.40

-67.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$44.17 €39.29

-35.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.47 €3.98

-62.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.81 €0.72

16.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$14.19 €12.62

8.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.13 €1.89

-20.66%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.7K €30.0K

-11.51%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$38.1K €33.9K

-31.44%

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

$156 BGN 272

$158 €141

-1.52%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$22.04 €19.60

-2.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$32.78 €29.15

-53.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$62.3 €55.4

-26.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$22.15 €19.70

26.05%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.20 €8.18

10.65%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$567 €504

36.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.5K €9,324

22.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$95.9 €85.3

-6.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$36.94 €32.86

11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$92.2 €82.0

14.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$102 €90.4

4.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,160 €1,032

-32.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$973 €866

-38.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,225 €1,979

-31.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,571 €1,397

-34.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,329 €3,850

0.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,785 €3,367

-16.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,565 €1,392

10.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.67

-21.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Matosinhos: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Matosinhos

$973 50.5% 63% $376

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Matosinhos

$248 12.9% 14.8% $43

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Matosinhos

$201 10.5% 21% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Matosinhos

$213 11.1% 10.6% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Matosinhos

$147 7.6% 4.8% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Matosinhos

$81 4.2% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Matosinhos

$64 3.3% 65.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,160 in Matosinhos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $48.00 in Matosinhos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $248 per month, with Matosinhos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Matosinhos

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

172,586

💱 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 17, 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 17, 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 Matosinhos 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Matosinhos

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 Matosinhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in leisure, transport, and utilities. The 21% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 11% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $1,160 in Matosinhos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,926 in Matosinhos – a 21% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 55% less than in Matosinhos. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,926 in Matosinhos, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Matosinhos. 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 Matosinhos, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

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

Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 21% less than in Matosinhos. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.