Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Viana do Castelo

For one person, living is cheaper in Viana do Castelo: $1,509 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Viana do Castelo
Learn more

Viana do Castelo Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Viana do Castelo

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Viana do Castelo

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 Viana do Castelo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,509 in Viana do Castelo, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Viana do Castelo $1,509

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,462 in Viana do Castelo, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Viana do Castelo $2,462

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,415 in Viana do Castelo, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Viana do Castelo $3,415

Sofia costs about 6% more than Viana do Castelo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Viana do Castelo sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Viana do Castelo by 12%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.03 €8.03

86.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$51.1 €45.43

28.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.08 €8.08

24.67%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.48 €1.31

131.76%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.84 €1.63

30.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.29 €1.15

43.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.56 €1.38

137.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.86 €1.66

146.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.96 €0.86

110.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.02 €0.90

52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.36 €1.21

71.32%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.87 €2.55

51.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$13.25 €11.79

-11.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.69 €6.84

14.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.57 €12.96

19.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.99 €1.77

8.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.37 €1.22

44.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.61 €1.44

19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.25 €2.00

88.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.45 €1.29

-28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.72 €1.53

-50.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.61 €1.43

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.62 €0.55

43.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.95 €5.29

-29.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.35 €3.87

71.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.29 €1.15

-10.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.59 €2.30

-28.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$3.55 €3.16

-75.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$56.4 €50.2

-49.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.69 €3.28

-54.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.41 €1.26

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.09 €16.09

-15.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.08 €1.85

-18.75%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.0K €29.4K

-9.76%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$38.4K €34.1K

-31.91%

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

$156 BGN 272

$85.7 €76.2

82.23%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.97 €18.65

2.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$40.88 €36.37

-62.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$54.4 €48.34

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.79 €17.61

41.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.90 €7.91

14.38%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$450 €400

72.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,269 €5,576

104.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$74.4 €66.2

20.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$35.16 €31.27

17.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$71.8 €63.9

46.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$83.1 €73.9

28.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$818 €728

-4.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$711 €632

-16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,962 €1,745

-22.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$1,550 €1,379

-33.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,610 €1,432

170.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,419 €1,263

123.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,207 €1,074

43.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.7

-21.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Viana do Castelo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Viana do Castelo

$711 47.1% 19.1% $114

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Viana do Castelo

$236 15.7% 18.6% $54

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Viana do Castelo

$141 9.4% 44.6% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Viana do Castelo

$148 9.8% 23.5% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Viana do Castelo

$119 7.9% 22.9% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Viana do Castelo

$72 4.8% 8.6% $5.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Viana do Castelo

$81 5.4% 112% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $818 in Viana do Castelo. 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 44% higher in Sofia, 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 $51.0 in Viana do Castelo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $236 – making Viana do Castelo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇹 Viana do Castelo

🕒 Local time

01:10 1:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

2 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

85,784

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Viana do Castelo 2,640 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Viana do Castelo

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 Viana do Castelo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,509 in Viana do Castelo – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,263 in Viana do Castelo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Viana do Castelo, 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 $1,509 in Viana do Castelo. That's a gap of about 6%.

Public transport costs about 98% less in Viana do Castelo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Viana do Castelo, where all-in costs run around $1,509, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Viana do Castelo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia 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 $1,509 in Viana do Castelo to $1,594 in Sofia. 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 Viana do Castelo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.