Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Tumba

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $1,896 in Tumba, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
91

Cost of Living Index in Tumba
Learn more

Tumba Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Tumba

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Tumba

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,896 in Tumba, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Tumba $1,896

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,899 in Tumba, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Tumba $2,899

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $3,901 in Tumba, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Tumba $3,901

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$14.20 SEK 141

18.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$64.9 SEK 646

2.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$9.95 SEK 99.0

16.48%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$4.29 SEK 42.71

-17.95%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.65 SEK 26.38

-8.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.21 SEK 22.03

-19.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$7.17 SEK 71.3

-48.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$6.91 SEK 68.7

-36.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.79 SEK 17.78

9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$3.05 SEK 30.39

-50.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$3.75 SEK 37.34

-41.33%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$5.03 SEK 50.1

-12.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$13.00 SEK 129

-9.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$13.25 SEK 132

-34.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$17.49 SEK 174

-0.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$3.25 SEK 32.33

-34.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.68 SEK 26.70

-23.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.06 SEK 20.49

-6.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$4.50 SEK 44.81

-7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.45 SEK 14.43

-25.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.80 SEK 17.96

-49.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$2.30 SEK 22.92

-48.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.88 SEK 18.74

-55.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$7.15 SEK 71.2

-41.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$10.04 SEK 99.9

-23.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$2.01 SEK 20.03

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$2.25 SEK 22.42

-20.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$4.26 SEK 42.40

-79.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$103 SEK 1,024

-71.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$5.79 SEK 57.6

-70.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.48 SEK 14.70

-41.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$57.1 SEK 569

-72.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.81 SEK 18.03

-4.42%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$33.4K SEK 332.7K

-11.26%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$34.0K SEK 338.0K

-24.67%

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

$161 BGN 282

$176 SEK 1,750

-8.49%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$21.42 SEK 213

-1.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$48.20 SEK 480

-68.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$40.34 SEK 402

19.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$26.36 SEK 262

4.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$16.89 SEK 168

-39.85%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$158 SEK 1,572

397.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,131 SEK 51.1K

148.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$113 SEK 1,125

-20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$53.6 SEK 533

-22.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$94.8 SEK 943

13.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$186 SEK 1,847

-41.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$792 SEK 7,883

-0.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$599 SEK 5,966

0.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$1,375 SEK 13.7K

10.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$1,011 SEK 10.1K

2.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$3,992 SEK 39.7K

10.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$2,784 SEK 27.7K

12.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

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 Tumba: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Tumba

$599 31.6% 0.7% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Tumba

$379 20% 31.5% $91

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Tumba

$264 13.9% 3.1% $8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Tumba

$245 12.9% 24.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Tumba

$201 10.6% 28.5% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Tumba

$74 3.9% 8% $5.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Tumba

$133 7% 245% $95

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $792 in Tumba. 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 $65 in Tumba. Groceries tell a different story – $288 in Sofia vs $379 in Tumba – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Tumba

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

42,344

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

100 SEK = 10.05 USD

100 SEK = 9.03 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 = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.95 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.08 SEK (100 SEK = 9.03 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Tumba 1,870 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Tumba

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 Tumba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,896 in Tumba – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,844 in Tumba. 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 $792 in Tumba. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 72% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Tumba, 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 $1,896 in Tumba, 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 $1,896 in Tumba. 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.