Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oeiras

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,111 in Oeiras, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
103

Cost of Living Index in Oeiras
Learn more

Oeiras Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Oeiras

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,111

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oeiras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,111 in Oeiras.

Sofia $1,594
Oeiras $2,111

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $3,200 in Oeiras.

Sofia $2,478
Oeiras $3,200

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $4,289 in Oeiras.

Sofia $3,361
Oeiras $4,289

Living in Sofia costs roughly 24% less than in Oeiras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Oeiras 56% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$15.74 €14.00

7.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$55.0 €48.88

19.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.25 €10.00

0.62%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.52 €2.24

36.11%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.39 €2.12

0.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.78 €1.58

3.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.42 €3.04

8.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.85 €3.42

18.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.03 €0.92

96.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.26 €1.12

23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.17 €1.93

7.37%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.55 €3.16

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$14.58 €12.97

-19.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.44 €6.62

18.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$18.56 €16.51

-5.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.91 €2.59

-26.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.37 €1.22

44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.81 €1.61

6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.53 €2.25

67.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.75 €1.56

-40.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.61 €1.44

-47.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.81 €0.72

41.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.79 €0.70

12.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.87 €5.22

-28.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.38 €3.90

70.32%

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

$2.42 €2.15

-23.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.18 €1.94

-60.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$43.95 €39.09

-35.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.54 €3.14

-52.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.76 €0.68

23.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.63 €14.79

-7.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.17 €1.93

-22.12%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.9K €30.2K

-12.10%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$38.3K €34.1K

-31.80%

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

$156 BGN 272

$109 €96.6

43.80%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.33 €18.08

6.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$34.85 €31.00

-56.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$57.8 €51.4

-20.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$26.71 €23.76

4.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.22 €7.31

23.84%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$487 €434

58.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.4K €10.1K

12.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$85.6 €76.2

5.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$43.93 €39.08

-6.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$107 €95.1

-1.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$153 €136

-30.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,451 €1,291

-46.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$1,140 €1,014

-47.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,507 €2,230

-39.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$2,037 €1,812

-49.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$5,565 €4,950

-21.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,352 €2,981

-5.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,477 €1,314

17.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.54

-18.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Oeiras: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Oeiras

$1.1K 54% 91.1% $544

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Oeiras

$267 12.6% 8.2% $24

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Oeiras

$231 11% 9.2% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Oeiras

$164 7.8% 15.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Oeiras

$175 8.3% 13.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Oeiras

$74 3.5% 11.8% $7.8

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oeiras

$60 2.8% 56.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,451 in Oeiras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 17% 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 $55.0 in Oeiras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $267 per month, with Oeiras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Oeiras

🕒 Local time

04:47 4:47 AM

02:47 2:47 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

171,767

💱 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 Oeiras 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oeiras

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 Oeiras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Oeiras. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 17% 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 $1,451 in Oeiras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $55.0 in Oeiras. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $2,111 in Oeiras – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $2,111 in Oeiras, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Oeiras. 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 $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Oeiras 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 32% less than in Oeiras. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.