Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Stavanger

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Stavanger

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $3,140 in Stavanger, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Stavanger $3,140

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $4,513 in Stavanger, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Stavanger $4,513

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $5,886 in Stavanger, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Stavanger $5,886

Sofia is about 49% cheaper than Stavanger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Stavanger sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Stavanger by 134%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$24.58 NOK 235

-30.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$97.3 NOK 929

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$15.95 NOK 152

-26.21%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$6.25 NOK 59.7

-45.28%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$5.41 NOK 51.7

-55.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$4.25 NOK 40.57

-56.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$13.66 NOK 130

-75.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$11.78 NOK 112

-61.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.37 NOK 22.61

-18.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$3.47 NOK 33.14

-56.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.83 NOK 36.59

-42.30%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.70 NOK 44.87

-6.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$14.36 NOK 137

-19.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$16.81 NOK 161

-47.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$34.43 NOK 329

-50.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.42 NOK 32.68

-36.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.72 NOK 26.00

-25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.54 NOK 33.78

-48.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$4.91 NOK 46.90

-12.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.55 NOK 24.35

-59.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$3.12 NOK 29.79

-70.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$2.81 NOK 26.81

-57.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$2.34 NOK 22.33

-60.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$17.13 NOK 164

-74.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$18.45 NOK 176

-60.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$3.72 NOK 35.54

-68.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$4.45 NOK 42.52

-57.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$4.76 NOK 45.49

-81.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$87.0 NOK 831

-67.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$6.09 NOK 58.2

-71.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.75 NOK 16.69

-45.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$103 NOK 981

-84.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.36 NOK 22.50

-24.15%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

-36.60%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

-34.76%

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

$156 BGN 273

$245 NOK 2,337

-36.26%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$35.29 NOK 337

-39.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$81.6 NOK 779

-80.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$50.3 NOK 480

-7.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$36.81 NOK 352

-24.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$22.03 NOK 210

-54.52%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$322 NOK 3,080

137.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

-9.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$127 NOK 1,212

-29.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$60.1 NOK 574

-31.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$153 NOK 1,459

-30.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$204 NOK 1,948

-48.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

-51.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

-55.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

-43.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

-47.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

-29.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

-38.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

-64.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.27

-45.16%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6% 127% $772

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Stavanger

$513 16.2% 78.4% $225

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Stavanger

$450 14.2% 75.8% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Stavanger

$362 11.4% 87.5% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Stavanger

$245 7.7% 59.3% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Stavanger

$94 3% 41.3% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Stavanger

$121 3.8% 217% $83

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,658 in Stavanger. 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 185% higher in Stavanger, 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 $97.0 in Stavanger. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $513 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

149,330

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NOK, 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).

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Stavanger 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Stavanger

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 Stavanger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $3,140 in Stavanger – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $4,710 in Stavanger. 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 $3,140 in Stavanger. That's a gap of about 98%.

Public transport costs about 209% 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 Stavanger at $3,140. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Stavanger has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $3,140 in Stavanger. 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, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.