Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Trondheim

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,836 in Trondheim, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 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
138

Cost of Living Index in Trondheim
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Trondheim Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Trondheim

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,836

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Trondheim

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $2,836 in Trondheim, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Trondheim $2,836

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $4,192 in Trondheim, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Trondheim $4,192

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $5,548 in Trondheim, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Trondheim $5,548

Sofia is about 44% cheaper than Trondheim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Trondheim sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Trondheim by 112%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$20.83 NOK 199

-17.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$105 NOK 1,001

-36.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$15.41 NOK 147

-23.62%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$5.40 NOK 51.6

-36.67%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$5.72 NOK 54.7

-57.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$4.19 NOK 40.05

-55.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$13.00 NOK 124

-74.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$12.71 NOK 121

-64.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$2.48 NOK 23.68

-22.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$3.51 NOK 33.54

-56.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$3.66 NOK 34.94

-39.62%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$4.85 NOK 46.34

-9.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$12.86 NOK 123

-10.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$16.04 NOK 153

-45.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$31.35 NOK 299

-45.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$3.95 NOK 37.71

-45.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.81 NOK 26.81

-27.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$3.75 NOK 35.79

-50.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$5.69 NOK 54.3

-24.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$2.88 NOK 27.46

-64.24%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$3.05 NOK 29.16

-69.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$2.92 NOK 27.91

-58.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$2.23 NOK 21.27

-58.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$17.05 NOK 163

-74.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$18.35 NOK 175

-60.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$3.61 NOK 34.49

-67.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$4.49 NOK 42.89

-58.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$4.67 NOK 44.57

-81.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$99.7 NOK 952

-71.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$9.12 NOK 87.1

-80.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.55 NOK 14.82

-38.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$59.6 NOK 569

-73.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.44 NOK 23.28

-26.64%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$45.7K NOK 436.7K

-34.43%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$44.1K NOK 420.7K

-40.15%

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

$156 BGN 273

$274 NOK 2,618

-43.11%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$34.85 NOK 333

-39.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$81.9 NOK 782

-80.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$43.04 NOK 411

8.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$39.57 NOK 378

-29.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$20.68 NOK 198

-51.55%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$291 NOK 2,776

163.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$4,315 NOK 41.2K

196.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$107 NOK 1,021

-16.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$50.6 NOK 483

-19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$117 NOK 1,122

-9.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$156 NOK 1,493

-33.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,432 NOK 13.7K

-44.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$1,121 NOK 10.7K

-45.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$2,196 NOK 21.0K

-28.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,647 NOK 15.7K

-35.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$6,325 NOK 60.4K

-31.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$5,083 NOK 48.5K

-36.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$4,213 NOK 40.2K

-58.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.32

-45.68%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Trondheim: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Trondheim

$1.1K 39.5% 84.5% $513

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Trondheim

$504 17.8% 75.3% $216

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Trondheim

$408 14.4% 59.3% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Trondheim

$391 13.8% 103% $198

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Trondheim

$194 6.8% 26.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Trondheim

$84 3% 26.4% $18

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Trondheim

$135 4.8% 255% $97

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,432 in Trondheim. 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 142% higher in Trondheim, 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 $105 in Trondheim. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $504 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇳🇴 Trondheim

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

215,121

💱 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 Trondheim 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Trondheim

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 Trondheim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $2,836 in Trondheim – roughly 78% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $4,254 in Trondheim. 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 $2,836 in Trondheim. That's a gap of about 78%.

Public transport costs about 254% 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 Trondheim at $2,836. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trondheim 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 $2,836 in Trondheim. 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, Trondheim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.