Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Reykjavik

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 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
193

Cost of Living Index in Reykjavik
Learn more

Reykjavik Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

$4,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Reykjavik

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $4,037 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Reykjavik $4,037

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $5,666 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Reykjavik $5,666

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $7,295 in Reykjavik, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Reykjavik $7,295

Sofia is about 61% cheaper than Reykjavik, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Reykjavik sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Reykjavik by 201%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$30.59 ISK 3,727

-44.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$136 ISK 16.5K

-50.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$27.08 ISK 3,300

-56.54%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$6.72 ISK 818

-49.11%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$3.27 ISK 399

-25.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$3.16 ISK 386

-41.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$13.91 ISK 1,695

-76.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$12.06 ISK 1,469

-62.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.04 ISK 248

-5.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$4.32 ISK 526

-65.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.67 ISK 447

-39.78%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$7.02 ISK 855

-37.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$22.01 ISK 2,682

-47.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$24.70 ISK 3,009

-64.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$42.66 ISK 5,198

-60.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.37 ISK 411

-35.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.85 ISK 347

-28.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.17 ISK 387

-41.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$6.39 ISK 779

-32.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$4.01 ISK 489

-74.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.64 ISK 200

-43.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$3.80 ISK 462

-68.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.74 ISK 212

-47.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$13.80 ISK 1,681

-68.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$23.38 ISK 2,849

-68.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$3.53 ISK 430

-66.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$3.45 ISK 420

-45.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$5.77 ISK 703

-84.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$95.1 ISK 11.6K

-70.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$6.63 ISK 808

-73.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$2.79 ISK 340

-65.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$81.4 ISK 9,915

-80.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.11 ISK 257

-15.17%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$50.8K ISK 6.2M

-41.00%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$52.7K ISK 6.4M

-50.00%

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

$156 BGN 273

$88.7 ISK 10.8K

75.89%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$31.53 ISK 3,842

-32.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$84.6 ISK 10.3K

-81.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$100 ISK 12.2K

-53.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$48.20 ISK 5,873

-42.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$19.87 ISK 2,422

-49.57%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$1,277 ISK 155.7K

-40.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$31.0K ISK 3.8M

-58.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$161 ISK 19.6K

-44.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$64.9 ISK 7,908

-37.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$183 ISK 22.3K

-41.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$254 ISK 30.9K

-58.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$2,499 ISK 304.6K

-68.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$2,000 ISK 243.7K

-69.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$3,452 ISK 420.6K

-54.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$2,742 ISK 334.2K

-61.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$8,001 ISK 974.9K

-45.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$6,249 ISK 761.5K

-47.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$4,691 ISK 571.6K

-62.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

8.81

-67.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Reykjavik: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Reykjavik

$2K 50.9% 229% $1.4K

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Reykjavik

$625 15.9% 118% $338

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Reykjavik

$526 13.4% 105% $270

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Reykjavik

$205 5.2% 6.2% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Reykjavik

$298 7.6% 94% $144

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Reykjavik

$140 3.6% 110% $73

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Reykjavik

$139 3.5% 264% $101

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $2,499 in Reykjavik. 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 170% higher in Reykjavik, 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 $136 in Reykjavik. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $625 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇸 Reykjavik

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

10:03 10:03 AM

3 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

136,894 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ISK, 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 = 0.51 EUR).

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 122 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.21 USD). 1 EUR = 137 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.32 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Reykjavik 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Reykjavik

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 Reykjavik: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Reykjavik costs about 154% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $6,055 in Reykjavik. 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 $1,589 in Sofia and $4,037 in Reykjavik. That's a gap of about 154%.

Public transport costs about 238% 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 $1,589, than in Reykjavik at $4,037. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Reykjavik it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,589 versus $4,037 in Reykjavik. 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, Reykjavik makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.