Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Vasteras

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,818 in Vasteras, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
Learn more

Vasteras Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Vasteras

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,818 in Vasteras, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Vasteras $1,818

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,764 in Vasteras, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Vasteras $2,764

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,710 in Vasteras, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Vasteras $3,710

Sofia is about 12% cheaper than Vasteras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Vasteras sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Vasteras by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.70 SEK 136

23.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$64.6 SEK 640

1.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.91 SEK 98.2

14.23%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.23 SEK 41.92

-18.91%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.25 SEK 22.27

7.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.22 SEK 21.97

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$7.15 SEK 70.8

-48.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$7.08 SEK 70.2

-35.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.40 SEK 13.87

44.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$3.00 SEK 29.70

-48.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.57 SEK 35.37

-34.73%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.89 SEK 38.55

12.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$12.11 SEK 120

-2.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.74 SEK 126

-30.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$22.30 SEK 221

-21.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.19 SEK 31.59

-32.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.53 SEK 25.05

-21.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.67 SEK 36.37

-47.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.39 SEK 43.46

-3.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.47 SEK 14.55

-29.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.70 SEK 16.80

-50.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.18 SEK 21.62

-47.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.49 SEK 14.73

-40.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.08 SEK 70.2

-40.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$13.30 SEK 132

-43.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.32 SEK 13.10

-12.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.17 SEK 21.54

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.32 SEK 32.88

-73.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$70.7 SEK 700

-59.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.51 SEK 34.78

-52.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.50 SEK 24.78

-62.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$81.0 SEK 802

-81.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.66 SEK 16.49

1.81%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

-10.15%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

-18.43%

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

$156 BGN 272

$183 SEK 1,817

-14.90%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$22.17 SEK 220

-2.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$43.15 SEK 428

-64.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$34.14 SEK 338

34.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.65 SEK 195

42.09%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$16.74 SEK 166

-39.19%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$151 SEK 1,499

411.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

162.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$101 SEK 1,002

-11.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.24 SEK 399

2.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$86.7 SEK 859

21.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$134 SEK 1,323

-20.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$750 SEK 7,429

4.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$601 SEK 5,957

-0.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

11.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$997 SEK 9,880

3.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

22.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

32.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

-42.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.53

-18.13%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vasteras: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Vasteras

$601 33.1% 0.7% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Vasteras

$380 20.9% 30.9% $90

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Vasteras

$258 14.2% 1.2% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Vasteras

$249 13.7% 29% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Vasteras

$163 9% 5.4% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Vasteras

$68 3.7% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Vasteras

$100 5.5% 161% $62

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $750 in Vasteras. 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 73% higher in Vasteras, 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 $65.0 in Vasteras. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $380 in Vasteras – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🕒 Local time

02:34 2:34 AM

01:34 1:34 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

110,877

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Vasteras 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Vasteras

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 Vasteras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,818 in Vasteras – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,728 in Vasteras. 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 $1,818 in Vasteras. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 148% 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 Vasteras at $1,818. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vasteras 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 $1,818 in Vasteras. 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, Vasteras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.