Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Neu-Ulm

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $1,922 in Neu-Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Neu-Ulm
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Neu-Ulm Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Neu-Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,922

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,922 in Neu-Ulm.

Sofia $1,600
Neu-Ulm $1,922

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $2,893 in Neu-Ulm.

Sofia $2,490
Neu-Ulm $2,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $3,864 in Neu-Ulm.

Sofia $3,380
Neu-Ulm $3,864

Living in Sofia costs roughly 17% less than in Neu-Ulm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Neu-Ulm 42% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$16.81 €14.95

0.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$67.6 €60.1

1.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$12.43 €11.06

-6.52%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.92 €3.49

-12.50%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$2.75 €2.45

-14.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.99 €1.77

-8.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.45 €3.96

-23.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$4.61 €4.10

-3.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.44 €1.28

36.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.98 €1.76

-24.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$4.04 €3.60

-42.33%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$4.09 €3.63

7.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$14.79 €13.15

-21.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$10.43 €9.28

-14.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$23.91 €21.27

-26.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.28 €2.92

-34.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.08 €1.85

-0.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.13 €1.89

-9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$4.09 €3.64

3.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.15 €1.02

-10.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.10 €0.98

-20.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.54 €1.37

-22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.21 €1.08

-26.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$9.79 €8.71

-56.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$5.50 €4.89

43.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.13 €1.01

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.49 €1.33

26.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$3.52 €3.13

-73.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$53.9 €47.96

-47.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.04 €3.59

-58.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.27 €2.02

-57.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$27.49 €24.45

-44.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.15 €1.91

-17.67%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$33.4K €29.7K

-8.78%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$38.8K €34.5K

-35.43%

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

$157 BGN 273

$265 €236

-40.72%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$33.79 €30.06

-37.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$51.2 €45.58

-70.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$38.84 €34.55

19.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$25.08 €22.31

12.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$13.38 €11.90

-24.96%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$352 €313

119.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$9,573 €8,515

31.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$44.94 €39.97

95.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$56.2 €50.0

-26.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$79.8 €71.0

33.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$150 €133

-29.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$798 €710

-3.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$666 €592

-9.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,122 €998

39.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$1,134 €1,009

-8.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$4,942 €4,396

-7.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$3,353 €2,983

-5.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$3,612 €3,213

-51.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.95

-26.84%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Neu-Ulm: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Neu-Ulm

$666 34.7% 10.6% $64

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Neu-Ulm

$339 17.6% 16.5% $48

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Neu-Ulm

$269 14% 5.8% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Neu-Ulm

$350 18.2% 80.9% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Neu-Ulm

$149 7.8% 3.4% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Neu-Ulm

$66 3.4% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Neu-Ulm

$83 4.3% 117% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $798 in Neu-Ulm. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Neu-Ulm pays 107% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Sofia vs $68.0 in Neu-Ulm for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $339 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇩🇪 Neu-Ulm

🕒 Local time

22:48 10:48 PM

21:48 9:48 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

62,610

💱 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Neu-Ulm 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Neu-Ulm

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 Neu-Ulm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Neu-Ulm. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 107% lower in Neu-Ulm. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $770 in Sofia versus $798 in Neu-Ulm. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $352 in Neu-Ulm. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Neu-Ulm. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,922 in Neu-Ulm, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Neu-Ulm. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,600 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Neu-Ulm 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 20% less than in Neu-Ulm. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.