Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Perugia

For one person, living is cheaper in Perugia: $1,476 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
71

Cost of Living Index in Perugia
Learn more

Perugia Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Perugia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,476

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Perugia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,476 in Perugia.

Sofia $1,589
Perugia $1,476

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $2,331 in Perugia.

Sofia $2,456
Perugia $2,331

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $3,186 in Perugia.

Sofia $3,324
Perugia $3,186

Living in Sofia is roughly 8% more expensive than in Perugia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 19% above, Perugia 10% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$17.66 €15.76

-3.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$72.6 €64.8

-7.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$11.14 €9.94

5.66%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.80 €1.61

90.00%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.99 €2.66

-19.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.52 €1.35

22.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$5.69 €5.08

-41.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$5.68 €5.07

-20.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.35 €1.20

42.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$2.05 €1.83

-26.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.53 €2.26

-12.65%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.28 €3.82

2.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$16.87 €15.06

-31.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$12.40 €11.06

-29.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$18.24 €16.28

-6.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.60 €1.43

35.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.65 €1.47

23.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.82 €1.63

1.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.17 €1.94

97.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.45 €1.29

-28.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.77 €1.58

-47.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.56 €1.40

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.28 €0.25

228.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$6.26 €5.59

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$6.13 €5.47

19.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.60 €1.43

-26.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.91 €1.70

-2.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.64 €1.47

-46.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$62.8 €56.1

-55.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$3.32 €2.97

-47.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.27 €1.13

-24.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$28.12 €25.10

-44.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.02 €1.80

-11.39%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$36.6K €32.7K

-18.19%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$35.2K €31.5K

-25.18%

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

$156 BGN 273

$167 €149

-6.39%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$8.50 €7.58

149.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$30.50 €27.22

-48.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$45.15 €40.29

3.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$56.0 €49.99

-50.48%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.25 €7.36

21.45%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$587 €524

30.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$4,037 €3,602

216.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$66.2 €59.1

35.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$36.28 €32.38

12.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$79.4 €70.8

33.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$92.4 €82.4

13.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$494 €441

61.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$433 €387

40.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,025 €915

52.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$731 €652

45.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,816 €1,621

139.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,070 €955

203.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,554 €1,387

11.93%

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 3, 2026

Last update for Perugia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Perugia

$433 29.6% 28.7% $174

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Perugia

$306 20.9% 6.6% $19

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Perugia

$254 17.4% 0.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Perugia

$206 14.1% 6.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Perugia

$123 8.4% 19.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Perugia

$62 4.2% 7.7% $5.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Perugia

$79 5.4% 107% $41

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $494 in Perugia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 12% 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: $67.0 in Sofia vs $73.0 in Perugia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $306 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇹 Perugia

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

162,527

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Perugia 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Perugia

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 Perugia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Perugia is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 12% 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: $796 in Sofia versus $494 in Perugia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Sofia versus $1,476 in Perugia – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Perugia runs roughly 123% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,476 in Perugia versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Perugia but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Perugia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Perugia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Perugia 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 Perugia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.