Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Stenungsund

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $1,887 in Stenungsund, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Stenungsund
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Stenungsund Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Stenungsund

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Stenungsund

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,887 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Stenungsund $1,887

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,880 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Stenungsund $2,880

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $3,872 in Stenungsund, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Stenungsund $3,872

Sofia is about 15% cheaper than Stenungsund, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Stenungsund sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Stenungsund by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.70

$14.02 SEK 139

20.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 117

$66.8 SEK 664

-0.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.40

$8.64 SEK 85.8

34.14%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.20

$4.40 SEK 43.67

-20.00%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.25

$1.47 SEK 14.60

64.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.11

$2.22 SEK 22.03

-20.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.48

$7.03 SEK 69.9

-47.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.70

$6.89 SEK 68.5

-36.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.44

$1.43 SEK 14.21

37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.65

$3.15 SEK 31.26

-52.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.87

$5.60 SEK 55.7

-60.71%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.75

$5.23 SEK 51.9

-15.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.70

$13.62 SEK 135

-13.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.28

$13.38 SEK 133

-35.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.57

$16.96 SEK 168

2.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.75

$3.24 SEK 32.14

-34.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.61

$2.67 SEK 26.49

-23.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.40

$2.05 SEK 20.39

-5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.34

$4.62 SEK 45.91

-9.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

$1.43 SEK 14.19

-24.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.60

$1.74 SEK 17.32

-47.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.08

$2.26 SEK 22.44

-47.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.82 SEK 18.04

-53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.36

$7.35 SEK 73.0

-43.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.51

$8.14 SEK 80.8

-5.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$2.00 SEK 19.89

-41.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$2.21 SEK 21.93

-18.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$2.57 SEK 25.52

-66.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

$77.9 SEK 773

-62.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.96

$13.37 SEK 133

-87.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.54

$2.05 SEK 20.41

-57.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.74

$81.3 SEK 808

-80.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.04

$1.76 SEK 17.48

-1.70%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

$32.7K SEK 324.5K

-9.21%

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

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

$33.8K SEK 335.9K

-24.37%

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

$161 BGN 283

$178 SEK 1,768

-9.61%

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

$21.08 BGN 37.10

$28.89 SEK 287

-27.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.73

$47.61 SEK 473

-68.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 85.1

$37.19 SEK 369

29.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

$26.84 SEK 267

2.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.88

$17.15 SEK 170

-40.76%

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

$785 BGN 1,382

$219 SEK 2,176

258.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,035 SEK 50.0K

153.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 158

$98.0 SEK 973

-8.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.7

$53.0 SEK 527

-22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 189

$95.1 SEK 944

13.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 192

$218 SEK 2,169

-49.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,389

$813 SEK 8,071

-2.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,063

$606 SEK 6,014

-0.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,670

$1,378 SEK 13.7K

10.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,825

$1,002 SEK 9,947

3.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,756

$3,961 SEK 39.3K

11.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,521

$2,832 SEK 28.1K

10.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

$1,935 SEK 19.2K

-10.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.8

3.21%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stenungsund: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Stenungsund

$606 32.1% 0.3% $1.6

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Stenungsund

$381 20.2% 32.1% $93

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Stenungsund

$255 13.5% 0.5% $1.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Stenungsund

$254 13.5% 29.1% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Stenungsund

$209 11.1% 33.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Stenungsund

$72 3.8% 4.1% $2.8

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Stenungsund

$112 5.9% 190% $73

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $813 in Stenungsund. 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 11% higher in Stenungsund, 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 in Sofia versus $67 in Stenungsund. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $381 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Stenungsund

🕒 Local time

18:39 6:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

27,842

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Sofia
Stenungsund

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 Stenungsund: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,887 in Stenungsund – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,831 in Stenungsund. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $789 in Sofia and $813 in Stenungsund. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 63% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Stenungsund, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,609 in Sofia and $1,887 in Stenungsund, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,609 in Sofia to $1,887 in Stenungsund. 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, Stenungsund makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.