Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sao Joao da Madeira

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira: $1,510 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Madeira
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Sao Joao da Madeira Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Sofia $1,594
Sao Joao da Madeira $1,510

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,107 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Sofia $2,478
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,107

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,704 in Sao Joao da Madeira.

Sofia $3,361
Sao Joao da Madeira $2,704

Living in Sofia is roughly 6% more expensive than in Sao Joao da Madeira, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Sao Joao da Madeira 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$10.06 €8.95

67.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$19.79 €17.60

232.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.85 €6.98

44.20%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.14 €1.01

200.88%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.09 €0.97

121.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.97 €0.87

90.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.32 €2.95

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.17 €1.93

111.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.85 €0.75

137.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.32 €0.28

387.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.14 €1.01

104.39%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.68 €2.39

62.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.58 €7.63

37.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.52 €4.91

59.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$6.51 €5.79

168.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.03 €1.81

5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.35 €1.20

46.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.83 €1.63

5.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.85 €2.54

48.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.97 €1.75

-47.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.88 €1.67

-54.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.24 €1.10

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.98 €0.87

-9.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.28 €5.59

-32.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.53 €4.02

64.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.21 €1.07

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.63 €1.45

13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.24 €1.99

-61.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$39.68 €35.29

-28.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$4.33 €3.85

-61.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.78 €1.58

-47.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.67 €14.83

-7.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.90 €1.69

-11.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.1K €29.4K

-9.92%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.7K €33.5K

-30.60%

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

$156 BGN 272

$110 €97.7

42.12%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.96 €15.08

27.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$46.09 €40.99

-66.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.59 €33.44

22.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$15.09 €13.42

85.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.44 €4.84

87.13%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$341 €303

126.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.0K €8,931

27.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$65.5 €58.3

37.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$37.57 €33.42

9.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$82.7 €73.5

27.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$98.5 €87.6

8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$957 €851

-18.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$768 €683

-22.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,517 €1,349

-0.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,164 €1,035

-11.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,957 €2,630

47.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,267 €2,017

40.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,048 €932

65.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.55

-18.59%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Madeira: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$768 50.8% 28.7% $171

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$184 12.2% 36.6% $106

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$147 9.7% 42.4% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$173 11.5% 10.4% $20

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$128 8.5% 17.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$48 3.2% 27.1% $18

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sao Joao da Madeira

$62 4.1% 61.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 66% 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 $20.00 in Sao Joao da Madeira for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $184 per month, with Sao Joao da Madeira cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Sao Joao da Madeira

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

22:56 10:56 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

22,144

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Sao Joao da Madeira 2,630 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sao Joao da Madeira

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 Sao Joao da Madeira: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Joao da Madeira is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 6% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 66% 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: $783 in Sofia versus $957 in Sao Joao da Madeira. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 58% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Sao Joao da Madeira – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,510 in Sao Joao da Madeira versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sao Joao da Madeira but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Sao Joao da Madeira the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira 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 Sao Joao da Madeira gentler on the wallet – expenses run 6% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.