Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and San Pawl Il-bahar

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in San Pawl Il-bahar outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in San Pawl Il-bahar
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San Pawl Il-bahar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

San Pawl Il-bahar

🇲🇹 Malta

$1,697

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in San Pawl Il-bahar

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 San Pawl Il-bahar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,697 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
San Pawl Il-bahar $1,697

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,593 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
San Pawl Il-bahar $2,593

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,489 in San Pawl Il-bahar, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
San Pawl Il-bahar $3,489

Sofia is about 6% cheaper than San Pawl Il-bahar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sofia and San Pawl Il-bahar sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, San Pawl Il-bahar by 26%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$19.75 €17.57

-14.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$82.2 €73.1

-19.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.28 €10.03

0.35%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.58 €2.30

32.95%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.47 €2.20

-2.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.95 €1.74

-5.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$4.50 €4.00

-17.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.18 €4.60

-11.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.31 €1.17

54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.16 €1.03

34.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.82 €3.40

-39.01%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.62 €3.22

20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.44 €7.50

39.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.75 €6.89

13.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$9.41 €8.37

85.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.98 €2.65

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.05 €1.82

-3.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.93 €2.60

-34.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.86 €2.54

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.57 €1.40

-33.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.84 €1.64

-53.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.19 €1.06

-3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.20 €1.07

-25.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.33 €5.63

-33.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.30 €7.38

-10.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.49 €1.32

-22.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.00 €1.78

-7.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.76 €2.46

-68.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.72 €5.09

-70.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.17 €1.93

-56.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$26.51 €23.58

-42.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.47 €1.30

14.97%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$38.3K €34.1K

-22.20%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$39.6K €35.2K

-33.95%

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

$156 BGN 272

$58.9 €52.4

165.17%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.63 €18.35

4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$39.96 €35.54

-61.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$49.65 €44.17

-7.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$13.51 €12.02

106.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.96 €8.86

2.21%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$371 €330

108.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.1K €9,915

14.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$22.55 €20.06

298.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$33.53 €29.83

23.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$96.5 €85.8

9.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$75.4 €67.1

41.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$981 €872

-20.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$848 €755

-29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,640 €1,459

-7.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,348 €1,199

-23.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,441 €3,061

26.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,867 €2,550

10.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,670 €1,485

3.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.9

-0.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Pawl Il-bahar: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$848 50% 42.2% $252

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$256 15.1% 12% $35

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$273 16.1% 7.3% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$119 7% 38.1% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$103 6.1% 33.6% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$70 4.1% 4.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

San Pawl Il-bahar

$28 * 1.6% 28% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $981 in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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 4% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $256 in San Pawl Il-bahar – so San Pawl Il-bahar wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇹 San Pawl Il-bahar

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

19:05 7:05 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

21,046

💱 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 San Pawl Il-bahar 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
San Pawl Il-bahar

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 San Pawl Il-bahar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – San Pawl Il-bahar is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,545 in San Pawl Il-bahar. 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 $66.0 in Sofia and $82.0 in San Pawl Il-bahar. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in San Pawl Il-bahar – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in San Pawl Il-bahar at $1,697. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Pawl Il-bahar it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, San Pawl Il-bahar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.