Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and San Sebastian

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,948 in San Sebastian, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
95

Cost of Living Index in San Sebastian
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San Sebastian Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

San Sebastian

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,948

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in San Sebastian

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,948 in San Sebastian.

Sofia $1,594
San Sebastian $1,948

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,889 in San Sebastian.

Sofia $2,478
San Sebastian $2,889

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,830 in San Sebastian.

Sofia $3,361
San Sebastian $3,830

Living in Sofia costs roughly 18% less than in San Sebastian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, San Sebastian 44% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.76 €14.90

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$60.6 €53.9

8.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.58 €9.41

6.99%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.08 €1.85

64.90%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.87 €2.55

-16.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.62 €1.44

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.44 €3.06

7.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.62 €3.22

26.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.13 €1.01

78.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.06 €0.94

47.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.75 €1.56

33.14%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.72 €3.31

17.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$22.34 €19.87

-47.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.17 €7.27

8.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$21.10 €18.77

-17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.51 €2.24

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.36 €2.10

-16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.34 €2.97

-42.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.90 €2.58

46.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.06 €1.83

-49.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.98 €1.76

-57.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.18 €1.05

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.61 €0.54

45.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.07 €5.40

-30.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.39 €6.58

0.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.08 €0.96

6.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.83 €1.63

1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.11 €1.88

-58.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$33.85 €30.11

-15.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$6.57 €5.85

-74.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.91 €0.81

3.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$22.70 €20.19

-32.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.70 €1.51

-0.59%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.2K €32.2K

-17.66%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$28.7K €25.5K

-8.96%

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

$156 BGN 272

$136 €121

14.44%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.40 €18.15

5.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$35.36 €31.45

-56.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$42.41 €37.73

8.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.95 €17.75

39.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.44 €7.50

20.62%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$453 €403

70.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$13.7K €12.2K

-6.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$72.5 €64.5

24.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$31.46 €27.99

31.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$74.7 €66.5

40.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$134 €119

-20.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$1,407 €1,252

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$954 €849

-37.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$2,239 €1,992

-32.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,522 €1,354

-32.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$9,603 €8,541

-54.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$4,748 €4,223

-33.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$3,027 €2,693

-42.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.92

-1.03%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for San Sebastian: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

San Sebastian

$954 49% 59.9% $357

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

San Sebastian

$316 16.2% 8.6% $25

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

San Sebastian

$233 12% 8.5% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

San Sebastian

$192 9.9% 0.4% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

San Sebastian

$141 7.2% 8.9% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

San Sebastian

$59 3% 10.8% $7.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

San Sebastian

$53 2.7% 39.1% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $1,407 in San Sebastian. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

San Sebastian pays 74% 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: $66.0 in Sofia vs $61.0 in San Sebastian. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $316, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇪🇸 San Sebastian

🕒 Local time

23:19 11:19 PM

22:19 10:19 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

188,743

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia San Sebastian 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
San Sebastian

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 Sebastian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 22% lower than in San Sebastian. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in San Sebastian. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $1,407 in San Sebastian. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 9% higher in San Sebastian. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $66.0 versus $61.0 in San Sebastian. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,948 in San Sebastian, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in San Sebastian. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,594 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and San Sebastian 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 Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in San Sebastian. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.