Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mellieha

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,868 in Mellieha, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Mellieha
Learn more

Mellieha Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Mellieha

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,868

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mellieha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,868 in Mellieha.

Sofia $1,594
Mellieha $1,868

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,814 in Mellieha.

Sofia $2,478
Mellieha $2,814

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,761 in Mellieha.

Sofia $3,361
Mellieha $3,761

Living in Sofia costs roughly 15% less than in Mellieha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Mellieha 38% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.84 €14.98

0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$64.6 €57.4

1.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.74 €9.55

5.40%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.65 €2.36

29.43%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.43 €2.16

-0.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.98 €1.76

-6.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.92 €3.49

-5.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$6.84 €6.08

-33.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.37 €1.22

47.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.37 €1.22

13.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.44 €3.06

-32.27%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$4.43 €3.94

-1.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.15 €9.03

15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.90 €8.80

-10.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$18.22 €16.21

-4.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.69 €3.28

-41.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.81 €2.50

-29.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.99 €3.55

-51.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.78 €3.36

12.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.90 €1.69

-45.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$3.39 €3.02

-74.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.70 €1.51

-32.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.15 €1.02

-22.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.43 €5.72

-34.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.01 €5.35

24.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.42 €2.15

-52.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.36 €2.10

-21.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.74 €2.43

-68.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.96 €3.52

-57.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.84 €1.64

-48.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$33.19 €29.52

-53.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.46 €1.30

15.75%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$28.1K €25.0K

5.95%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$39.0K €34.7K

-32.95%

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

$156 BGN 272

$104 €92.3

50.34%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$30.81 €27.40

-30.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$28.75 €25.57

-46.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$59.9 €53.3

-23.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.44 €7.51

20.62%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$282 €250

175.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$12.3K €11.0K

3.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$57.2 €50.9

57.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$39.17 €34.85

5.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$82.3 €73.2

27.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$72.7 €64.7

46.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,131 €1,006

-30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$915 €814

-34.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,789 €1,591

-15.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,508 €1,341

-31.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,935 €3,500

10.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,756 €2,451

15.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,350 €1,201

28.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.05

-28.64%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mellieha: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Mellieha

$915 49% 53.3% $318

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Mellieha

$326 17.4% 12.1% $35

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Mellieha

$250 13.4% 2% $5.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Mellieha

$163 8.8% 15.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Mellieha

$113 6.1% 26.7% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Mellieha

$77 4.1% 15.5% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Mellieha

$24 * 1.3% 37.2% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 29% 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 $65.0 in Mellieha. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $326, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇹 Mellieha

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

17:53 5:53 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

10,087

💱 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 Mellieha 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Mellieha

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 Mellieha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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 $1,131 in Mellieha. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $282 in Mellieha. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $65.0 in Mellieha. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,868 in Mellieha, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Mellieha. 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 Mellieha, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Mellieha 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 17% less than in Mellieha. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.