Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Saint Helena

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint Helena: $558 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,589
/mo nomad
🇸🇭 Saint Helena
$558
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 34.4% more expensive than Saint Helena without rent, and 184.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 57.9% more expensive than Saint Helena without rent, and 85.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$17.10 BGN 29.93
$16.00 SHP 12.08
6.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.9 BGN 117
$66.2 SHP 49.99
1.10%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.77 BGN 20.59
$13.38 SHP 10.11
-12.03%
Cappuccino
$3.42 BGN 5.99
-
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 BGN 4.23
$1.21 SHP 0.91
100.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 BGN 3.26
$0.96 SHP 0.72
93.75%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.33 BGN 5.83
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.92
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.92 BGN 3.36
-
-
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 BGN 2.64
$1.98 SHP 1.50
-23.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 BGN 3.88
-
-
Eggs
$4.40 BGN 7.69
$5.17 SHP 3.91
-14.89%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.56 BGN 20.22
-
-
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.79 BGN 15.38
-
-
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$16.97 BGN 29.71
$10.81 SHP 8.16
56.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.17 BGN 3.79
-
-
Banana (1kg)
$2.04 BGN 3.57
-
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.84 BGN 3.22
-
-
Tomato (1kg)
$4.29 BGN 7.51
-
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.03 BGN 1.80
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$0.93 BGN 1.62
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.20 BGN 2.11
-
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 BGN 1.62
$1.31 SHP 0.99
-29.77%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.30 BGN 7.53
$11.35 SHP 8.57
-62.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.33 BGN 12.83
$15.07 SHP 11.39
-51.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.18 BGN 2.06
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.87 BGN 3.28
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.52
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.14 BGN 49.24
$39.73 SHP 30.01
-29.17%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.74 BGN 3.04
-
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.96 BGN 1.68
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.54 BGN 27.19
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 BGN 3.14
$2.44 SHP 1.84
-26.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.0K BGN 52.5K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.4K BGN 46.1K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 BGN 273
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.21 BGN 37.11
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.64 BGN 27.37
$210 SHP 159
-92.56%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.76 BGN 81.8
$19.60 SHP 14.80
138.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.74 BGN 48.54
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.02 BGN 17.53
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$766 BGN 1,341
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.4K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.7 BGN 157
-
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.88 BGN 71.5
-
-
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 186
-
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 BGN 183
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$796 BGN 1,393
$733 SHP 554
8.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$607 BGN 1,063
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,563 BGN 2,735
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,060 BGN 1,855
$509 SHP 384
108.29%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,357 BGN 7,626
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,250 BGN 5,688
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Saint Helena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,740 BGN 3,044
$775 SHP 585
124.59%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
0
-

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Saint Helena: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$607
Saint Helena
–
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$287
Saint Helena
–
Eating Out
Sofia
$256
Saint Helena
–
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$193
Saint Helena
–
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Saint Helena
–
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Saint Helena
–
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Saint Helena
–
Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇸🇭 Saint Helena
🕒 Local time
13:03 1:03 PM
10:03 10:03 AM
3 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
5,633
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

SHP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Saint Helena Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.755 SHP (1 SHP = 1.32 USD). 1 EUR = 0.846 SHP (1 SHP = 1.18 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Saint Helena 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Saint Helena

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

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