Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and St. Gallen

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 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
178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
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St. Gallen Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in St. Gallen

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
St. Gallen $3,632

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $5,284 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
St. Gallen $5,284

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $6,937 in St. Gallen, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
St. Gallen $6,937

Sofia is about 56% cheaper than St. Gallen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and St. Gallen sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, St. Gallen by 171%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$29.41 CHF 24.41

-41.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$145 CHF 121

-54.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$17.82 CHF 14.79

-33.95%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$5.99 CHF 4.97

-42.90%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$5.81 CHF 4.83

-58.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$5.33 CHF 4.42

-65.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$9.23 CHF 7.66

-63.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$6.17 CHF 5.12

-26.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.23 CHF 1.85

-13.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$3.18 CHF 2.64

-52.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.68 CHF 3.06

-39.95%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$7.68 CHF 6.37

-42.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$25.41 CHF 21.09

-54.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$28.97 CHF 24.05

-69.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$38.85 CHF 32.25

-56.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.16 CHF 2.62

-31.33%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.61 CHF 1.33

26.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-20.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$6.01 CHF 4.99

-28.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.70 CHF 1.41

-39.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$2.16 CHF 1.80

-56.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$1.18 CHF 0.98

-22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$10.65 CHF 8.84

-59.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$11.32 CHF 9.39

-35.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.18 CHF 1.81

-45.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.31 CHF 1.92

-19.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$4.17 CHF 3.46

-79.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$128 CHF 106

-78.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$6.64 CHF 5.51

-73.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$4.79 CHF 3.98

-79.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$77.3 CHF 64.2

-79.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-19.37%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

-15.11%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

-33.17%

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

$156 BGN 273

$305 CHF 253

-48.88%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$38.46 CHF 31.92

-44.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$54.2 CHF 44.95

-71.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$80.7 CHF 67.0

-42.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$30.32 CHF 25.16

-66.95%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$2,308 CHF 1,915

-66.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

-59.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$146 CHF 122

-38.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$64.6 CHF 53.7

-36.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$147 CHF 122

-27.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$179 CHF 148

-41.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,734 CHF 1,439

-54.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$1,698 CHF 1,410

-64.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$2,854 CHF 2,369

-45.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$2,153 CHF 1,787

-50.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

-63.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$9,070 CHF 7,528

-64.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$6,528 CHF 5,418

-73.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.1

37.62%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46% 180% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

St. Gallen

$572 15.5% 99.2% $285

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

St. Gallen

$464 12.6% 81.1% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

St. Gallen

$398 10.8% 106% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

St. Gallen

$242 6.6% 57.3% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

St. Gallen

$141 3.8% 112% $75

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

St. Gallen

$176 4.8% 360% $137

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,734 in St. Gallen. 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 275% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $145 in St. Gallen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $572 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🕒 Local time

10:00 10:00 AM

09:00 9:00 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

78,213

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia St. Gallen 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
St. Gallen

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 St. Gallen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $3,632 in St. Gallen – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $5,447 in St. Gallen. 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 $1,589 in Sofia and $3,632 in St. Gallen. That's a gap of about 129%.

Public transport costs about 356% 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 $1,589, than in St. Gallen at $3,632. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $3,632 in St. Gallen. 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, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.