Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sintra

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Sintra: $1,594 and $1,592 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sintra
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Sintra Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Sintra

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,592

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sintra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,592 in Sintra.

Sofia $1,594
Sintra $1,592

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,317 in Sintra.

Sofia $2,478
Sintra $2,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,041 in Sintra.

Sofia $3,361
Sintra $3,041

Monthly costs are close between Sofia and Sintra; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Sintra 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.05 €11.61

29.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$55.4 €49.24

18.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.84 €7.87

28.05%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.28 €1.14

167.97%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.54 €1.37

56.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.21 €1.07

52.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.25 €2.89

13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.74 €2.44

67.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.06 €0.95

90.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.26 €1.12

23.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.32 €1.17

76.52%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.60 €2.31

67.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.14 €8.13

28.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.91 €6.15

27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.07 €9.85

57.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.83 €1.62

17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.22 €1.09

62.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.34 €1.19

44.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.24 €2.00

89.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.25 €1.11

-16.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.63 €1.45

-47.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.59 €1.42

-27.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.63 €0.56

41.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.25 €5.56

-32.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$3.28 €2.92

127.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.28 €1.14

-10.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.40 €1.24

32.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.19 €1.94

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$41.73 €37.11

-31.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.66 €3.26

-54.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.50 €0.44

88.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.24 €14.45

-5.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.07 €1.84

-18.36%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$34.2K €30.4K

-12.78%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$38.2K €33.9K

-31.51%

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

$156 BGN 272

$129 €115

21.16%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$21.92 €19.50

-1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$45.30 €40.30

-66.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.17 €36.62

11.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$15.52 €13.81

79.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.89 €7.91

14.51%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$604 €538

28.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,207 €5,522

106.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$74.5 €66.3

20.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$45.04 €40.07

-8.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$108 €96.1

-2.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$49.27 €43.82

116.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$977 €869

-19.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$774 €688

-22.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,551 €1,379

-2.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,173 €1,043

-12.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,033 €2,698

43.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,236 €1,989

42.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,347 €1,198

28.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.54

-18.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sintra: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Sintra

$774 48.6% 29.6% $177

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Sintra

$204 12.8% 29.8% $87

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Sintra

$179 11.2% 29.7% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Sintra

$196 12.3% 1.6% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Sintra

$125 7.8% 19.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Sintra

$59 3.7% 11.3% $7.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sintra

$57 3.6% 47.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $977 in Sintra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $55.0 in Sintra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $204 per month, with Sintra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Sintra

🕒 Local time

18:55 6:55 PM

16:55 4:55 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

385,654

💱 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

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Between locations

Sofia Sintra 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sintra

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 Sintra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 29% 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 $977 in Sintra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sintra runs roughly 46% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,592 in Sintra versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sintra but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Sintra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sintra 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 Sintra are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Sintra wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.