Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oxford

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,140 in Oxford, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
154

Cost of Living Index in Oxford
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Oxford Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Oxford

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oxford

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $3,140 in Oxford, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Oxford $3,140

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $4,486 in Oxford, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Oxford $4,486

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $5,831 in Oxford, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Oxford $5,831

Sofia is about 49% cheaper than Oxford, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Oxford sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Oxford by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$24.41 £18.44

-29.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$105 £79.5

-36.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$10.78 £8.15

9.18%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$5.00 £3.78

-31.60%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$4.41 £3.33

-45.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$2.29 £1.73

-18.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$8.99 £6.79

-62.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$8.39 £6.34

-46.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.67 £1.26

14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.61 £1.22

-6.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.92 £1.45

15.10%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.27 £3.23

3.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$14.46 £10.93

-20.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$8.20 £6.20

7.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$14.87 £11.24

14.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.44 £2.60

-36.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.62 £1.22

25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.03 £2.29

-39.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.50 £2.64

22.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.74 £1.31

-40.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.73 £1.31

-46.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.17 £0.88

2.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.65 £1.25

-44.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$23.08 £17.44

-81.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$11.15 £8.43

-34.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$3.44 £2.60

-65.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$3.57 £2.70

-47.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$4.04 £3.05

-78.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$107 £80.7

-73.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$4.95 £3.74

-64.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$3.14 £2.37

-69.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$41.40 £31.28

-62.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.09 £1.58

-14.35%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$38.9K £29.4K

-22.88%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$40.1K £30.3K

-34.30%

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

$156 BGN 273

$355 £268

-56.02%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$17.88 £13.51

18.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$42.92 £32.44

-63.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$44.70 £33.78

4.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$11.33 £8.56

144.84%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$14.51 £10.97

-30.94%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$2,266 £1,713

-66.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$15.4K £11.6K

-16.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$95.3 £72.0

-5.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$45.69 £34.53

-10.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$101 £76.4

4.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$102 £77.1

2.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$2,279 £1,722

-65.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$1,656 £1,252

-63.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$3,222 £2,435

-51.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$2,582 £1,951

-58.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$7,976 £6,028

-45.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$6,813 £5,148

-52.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$3,924 £2,966

-55.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.79

-39.67%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Oxford: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Oxford

$1.7K 52.7% 173% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Oxford

$323 10.3% 12.4% $36

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Oxford

$376 12% 46.9% $120

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Oxford

$415 13.2% 116% $223

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Oxford

$155 4.9% 0.8% $1.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Oxford

$74 2.4% 10.4% $6.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oxford

$144 4.6% 276% $105

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $2,279 in Oxford. 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 126% higher in Oxford, 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $105 in Oxford. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $323 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇬🇧 Oxford

🕒 Local time

10:27 10:27 AM

08:27 8:27 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

165,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 GBP = 1.32 USD

1 GBP = 1.18 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.756 GBP (1 GBP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.848 GBP (1 GBP = 1.18 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Oxford 2,100 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oxford

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 Oxford: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oxford costs about 98% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $4,711 in Oxford. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $105 in Oxford. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $3,140 in Oxford. That's a gap of about 98%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Oxford at $3,140. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oxford it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $3,140 in Oxford. 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, Oxford makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.