Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Solna

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,760 in Solna, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Solna despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
Learn more

Solna Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Solna

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,760 in Solna, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Solna $1,760

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,721 in Solna, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Solna $2,721

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,682 in Solna, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Solna $3,682

Sofia is about 9% cheaper than Solna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Solna sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Solna by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$14.11 SEK 140

19.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$66.0 SEK 653

-0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.19 SEK 111

1.16%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.74 SEK 46.94

-27.64%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.26 SEK 22.44

6.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.42 SEK 14.10

30.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.48 SEK 74.1

-50.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$7.32 SEK 72.5

-37.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.38 SEK 13.71

46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.54 SEK 25.13

-38.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.51 SEK 34.82

-33.62%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.88 SEK 38.47

12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.11 SEK 90.2

29.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.75 SEK 126

-30.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$21.97 SEK 218

-20.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.18 SEK 31.53

-32.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.03 SEK 20.08

-2.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.45 SEK 24.29

-21.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.92 SEK 28.93

45.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.47 SEK 14.54

-29.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.87 SEK 18.49

-54.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.11 SEK 20.94

-45.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.02 SEK 10.09

-12.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.38 SEK 73.1

-42.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$13.19 SEK 131

-43.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.37 SEK 13.57

-16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.20 SEK 21.82

-15.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$4.17 SEK 41.30

-79.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$95.7 SEK 948

-70.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.56 SEK 35.24

-52.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.51 SEK 24.83

-62.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$80.4 SEK 796

-80.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.80 SEK 17.87

-6.11%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.4K SEK 330.5K

-10.65%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.4K SEK 320.9K

-19.30%

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

$156 BGN 272

$103 SEK 1,022

51.33%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$22.72 SEK 225

-5.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$40.38 SEK 400

-62.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.85 SEK 375

21.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$26.05 SEK 258

7.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$14.67 SEK 145

-30.61%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$152 SEK 1,505

409.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,015 SEK 49.7K

155.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$105 SEK 1,039

-14.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.38 SEK 400

2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$86.8 SEK 860

21.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$135 SEK 1,334

-20.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$794 SEK 7,869

-1.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$619 SEK 6,132

-3.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

11.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,032 SEK 10.2K

-0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$6,838 SEK 67.7K

-36.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,815 SEK 27.9K

12.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$3,500 SEK 34.7K

-50.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.53

-18.13%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Solna: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Solna

$619 35.2% 3.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Solna

$345 19.6% 18.7% $54

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Solna

$270 15.3% 6% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Solna

$166 9.4% 13.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Solna

$165 9.4% 6.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Solna

$67 3.8% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Solna

$128 7.3% 235% $90

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $794 in Solna. 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 102% higher in Solna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $66.0 in Solna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $345 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Solna

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

85,540

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR 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).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Solna 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Solna

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 Solna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,760 in Solna – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,641 in Solna. 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,760 in Solna. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 235% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Solna at $1,760. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Solna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Solna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $1,760 in Solna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Solna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.