Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Swords

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $2,598 in Swords, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Swords
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Swords Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Swords

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,598

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Swords

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $2,598 in Swords, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Swords $2,598

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $3,804 in Swords, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Swords $3,804

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $5,010 in Swords, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Swords $5,010

Sofia is about 38% cheaper than Swords, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Swords sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Swords by 91%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$22.16 €19.91

-23.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$98.6 €88.6

-32.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$13.20 €11.86

-12.20%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$4.93 €4.43

-28.60%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.98 €2.68

-18.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.16 €1.94

-18.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$8.03 €7.21

-54.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$6.74 €6.05

-35.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.58 €1.42

24.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$2.35 €2.11

-35.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.03 €1.83

8.37%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$4.24 €3.81

3.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$9.89 €8.89

18.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$10.86 €9.76

-20.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$13.29 €11.94

30.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$2.75 €2.47

-22.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.27 €2.04

-9.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.79 €2.51

-30.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$4.17 €3.75

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.87 €1.68

-42.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.47 €1.33

-38.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$1.30 €1.16

-9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.90 €1.70

-55.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$20.52 €18.44

-79.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$13.39 €12.03

-42.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$3.35 €3.01

-65.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$3.45 €3.10

-47.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$2.26 €2.03

-61.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$5.00 €4.49

-66.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.47 €1.32

-40.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$37.35 €33.55

-57.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$2.16 €1.94

-19.91%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$38.6K €34.7K

-23.10%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$38.0K €34.1K

-32.67%

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

$161 BGN 282

$246 €221

-34.69%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$18.68 €16.78

12.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$51.2 €45.97

-70.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$40.58 €36.46

19.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$13.43 €12.07

-24.35%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$1,010 €907

-22.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,183 €4,656

146.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$100 €90.0

-10.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$48.06 €43.18

-14.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$108 €97.1

-0.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$113 €101

-3.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$1,556 €1,398

-49.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$1,342 €1,206

-55.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$2,584 €2,322

-41.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$2,165 €1,945

-52.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$4,721 €4,242

-6.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$3,447 €3,097

-8.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.68

-21.47%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Swords: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Swords

$1.3K 51.7% 122% $738

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Swords

$335 12.9% 16.2% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Swords

$350 13.5% 36.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Swords

$316 12.2% 60.4% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Swords

$166 6.4% 6.1% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Swords

$67 2.6% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Swords

$21 * 0.8% 44.6% $17

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $1,556 in Swords. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia versus $99 in Swords. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $335 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇮🇪 Swords

🕒 Local time

13:51 1:51 PM

11:51 11:51 AM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

40,776

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Swords 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Swords

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 Swords: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $2,598 in Swords – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $3,897 in Swords. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $1,556 in Swords.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia and $99 in Swords. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Swords, 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 $2,598 in Swords, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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.