Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oberhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,996 in Oberhausen, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
97

Cost of Living Index in Oberhausen
Learn more

Oberhausen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Oberhausen

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,996

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oberhausen

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,996 in Oberhausen, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Oberhausen $1,996

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,847 in Oberhausen, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Oberhausen $2,847

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,698 in Oberhausen, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Oberhausen $3,698

Sofia is about 20% cheaper than Oberhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Oberhausen sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Oberhausen by 48%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$16.84 €15.01

0.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$85.0 €75.8

-22.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$13.21 €11.78

-14.31%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$4.06 €3.62

-15.52%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$3.18 €2.83

-24.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.11 €2.77

-40.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$5.68 €5.06

-34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$5.65 €5.04

-18.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.27 €1.13

59.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$2.15 €1.92

-27.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$3.22 €2.87

-27.64%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.62 €3.23

20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$13.48 €12.02

-12.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$11.84 €10.56

-25.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$23.05 €20.55

-24.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$2.90 €2.59

-25.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.06 €1.84

-3.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.25 €2.00

-14.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$3.93 €3.50

7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.37 €1.22

-24.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.25 €1.11

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.51 €1.34

-23.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$1.09 €0.97

-18.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$9.75 €8.70

-56.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$5.71 €5.09

30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.09 €0.98

5.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$1.71 €1.52

8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$3.41 €3.04

-74.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$49.20 €43.86

-42.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$4.97 €4.43

-66.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$2.91 €2.60

-67.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$33.73 €30.08

-54.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$2.25 €2.01

-24.89%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$33.4K €29.7K

-10.67%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$38.3K €34.1K

-31.73%

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

$156 BGN 273

$383 €342

-59.26%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$12.23 €10.91

76.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$36.34 €32.40

-58.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$39.20 €34.95

17.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$29.56 €26.36

-5.55%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$15.33 €13.67

-33.59%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$473 €422

63.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$9,247 €8,245

38.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$90.7 €80.8

-0.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$41.60 €37.09

-0.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$99.7 €88.9

5.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$140 €125

-23.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$601 €536

30.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$625 €557

-4.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$748 €667

102.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$754 €672

36.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$5,307 €4,732

-18.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$3,410 €3,041

-6.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$3,398 €3,030

-48.94%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Oberhausen: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Oberhausen

$625 31.3% 4.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Oberhausen

$332 16.6% 14.3% $41

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Oberhausen

$288 14.4% 13% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Oberhausen

$432 21.6% 124% $239

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Oberhausen

$167 8.4% 8.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Oberhausen

$70 3.5% 5.1% $3.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oberhausen

$82 4.1% 115% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $601 in Oberhausen. 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 96% higher in Oberhausen, 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 $85.0 in Oberhausen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $332 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇩🇪 Oberhausen

🕒 Local time

12:55 12:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

209,292

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Oberhausen 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oberhausen

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 Oberhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oberhausen costs about 25% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $2,994 in Oberhausen. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,996 in Oberhausen. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Oberhausen at $1,996. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oberhausen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,594 versus $1,996 in Oberhausen. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Oberhausen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.