Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Steyr

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,033 in Steyr, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
98

Cost of Living Index in Steyr
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Steyr Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Steyr

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,033

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Steyr

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $2,033 in Steyr, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Steyr $2,033

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,881 in Steyr, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Steyr $2,881

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,730 in Steyr, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Steyr $3,730

Sofia is about 22% cheaper than Steyr, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Steyr sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Steyr by 51%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.60 €14.77

1.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$49.51 €44.04

32.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$13.42 €11.93

-15.65%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.10 €2.76

10.65%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.96 €2.63

-18.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.76 €2.46

-32.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$4.97 €4.42

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.69 €4.17

-2.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.08 €0.96

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.08 €2.74

-49.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.82 €2.51

-17.38%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.22 €2.86

35.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$24.48 €21.77

-51.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$15.07 €13.41

-41.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$24.19 €21.52

-27.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.97 €2.64

-27.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.53 €2.25

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.12 €2.77

-38.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.80 €3.38

11.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.89 €1.68

-44.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.00 €1.78

-57.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.60 €1.42

-28.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.61 €0.55

45.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.93 €7.05

-46.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$9.01 €8.01

-17.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.21 €1.07

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.26 €2.01

-18.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.74 €2.44

-68.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$46.02 €40.94

-38.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.48 €4.88

-69.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.60 €2.31

-63.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$35.32 €31.42

-56.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.05 €1.83

-17.56%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.0K €26.7K

-0.71%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.5K €24.4K

-4.88%

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

$156 BGN 272

$385 €343

-59.47%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$13.88 €12.35

55.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$34.40 €30.60

-55.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$27.87 €24.79

65.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$16.96 €15.09

64.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$13.18 €11.72

-22.76%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$511 €455

51.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,612 €4,992

128.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$102 €91.0

-12.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.86 €36.34

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$114 €101

-7.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$161 €143

-33.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$766 €681

2.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$614 €546

-2.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$964 €858

57.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$852 €758

20.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,446 €2,176

-29.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.59

-19.50%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Steyr: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Steyr

$614 30.2% 2.9% $17

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Steyr

$401 19.7% 37.9% $110

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Steyr

$267 13.2% 4.9% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Steyr

$433 21.3% 125% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Steyr

$188 9.2% 21.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Steyr

$54 2.7% 18.4% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Steyr

$75 3.7% 96.7% $37

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $766 in Steyr. 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 41% higher in Steyr, 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 $50.0 in Steyr. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $401 in Steyr – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇹 Steyr

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

38,344

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Steyr 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Steyr

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 Steyr: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $2,033 in Steyr – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $3,050 in Steyr. 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 $2,033 in Steyr. That's a gap of about 28%.

Public transport costs about 61% 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 Steyr at $2,033. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Steyr 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 $1,594 in Sofia to $2,033 in Steyr. 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, Steyr makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.