Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Varnamo despite lower rent and utilities.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Varnamo

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Varnamo $3,652

Sofia is about 5% cheaper than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Varnamo sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Varnamo by 24%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$13.01 SEK 129

29.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$89.7 SEK 893

-25.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$12.23 SEK 122

-5.23%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$4.68 SEK 46.56

-24.79%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.72 SEK 27.05

-11.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.13 SEK 21.19

-16.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$7.81 SEK 77.7

-52.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$7.08 SEK 70.5

-38.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.71 SEK 17.06

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$2.50 SEK 24.86

-39.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$3.54 SEK 35.27

-37.85%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$4.63 SEK 46.06

-4.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$12.57 SEK 125

-6.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$11.73 SEK 117

-26.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$15.69 SEK 156

10.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$3.11 SEK 30.98

-31.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.55 SEK 25.37

-19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.82 SEK 28.05

-31.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$4.52 SEK 44.98

-7.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.72 SEK 17.16

-37.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.41 SEK 14.05

-35.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$2.57 SEK 25.58

-54.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.52 SEK 15.17

-44.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$7.81 SEK 77.8

-46.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$11.14 SEK 111

-31.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.93 SEK 19.26

-39.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$2.64 SEK 26.31

-31.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$3.19 SEK 31.77

-72.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$74.7 SEK 744

-61.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$5.04 SEK 50.2

-66.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.08 SEK 10.73

-19.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$41.06 SEK 409

-61.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.72 SEK 17.11

0.58%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$33.6K SEK 334.2K

-11.65%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$34.2K SEK 340.8K

-25.30%

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

$161 BGN 282

$77.0 SEK 766

109.06%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$17.22 SEK 171

22.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$30.45 SEK 303

-50.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$39.03 SEK 388

23.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$22.33 SEK 222

23.02%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$15.36 SEK 153

-33.85%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$157 SEK 1,561

400.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,450 SEK 44.3K

186.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$80.4 SEK 800

11.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$56.8 SEK 565

-27.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$99.9 SEK 994

7.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$123 SEK 1,226

-11.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$794 SEK 7,906

-0.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$612 SEK 6,087

-1.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$985 SEK 9,800

5.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

9.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$2,853 SEK 28.4K

9.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-14.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.03

-4.62%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 1.3% $7.8

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 23.9% $69

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 36.8% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 3.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 1.6% $1.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 154% $59

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $794 in Varnamo. 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 17% higher in Varnamo. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $357 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

18:13 6:13 PM

17:13 5:13 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

19,778

💱 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 Varnamo 1,740 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,692 in Varnamo – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,538 in Varnamo. 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 $794 in Varnamo. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Sofia and $1,692 in Varnamo. That’s a gap of about 5%.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,609 in Sofia and $1,692 in Varnamo, 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 $1,692 in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.