Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,885 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Wels

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,885 in Wels, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Wels $1,885

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,801 in Wels, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Wels $2,801

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,717 in Wels, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Wels $3,717

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

Both Sofia and Wels sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Wels by 40%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.47 €14.65

2.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$83.3 €74.1

-21.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.32 €10.07

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.27 €3.79

-19.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.38 €3.01

-28.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.98 €2.65

-37.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.44 €4.84

-31.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.42 €4.82

-15.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.51 €1.35

33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$2.41 €2.14

-35.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.73 €1.54

34.68%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.84 €3.42

13.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$21.73 €19.33

-45.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$12.85 €11.43

-31.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$21.77 €19.36

-19.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.98 €2.65

-27.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.77 €1.57

11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.72 €2.42

-29.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.81 €2.50

50.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.52 €2.24

-58.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.63 €1.45

-47.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$2.26 €2.01

-49.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.75 €0.67

18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.51 €6.68

-43.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.94 €7.95

-16.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.80 €0.71

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.19 €1.95

-15.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.70 €2.40

-67.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$38.48 €34.23

-25.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$5.63 €5.01

-70.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.34 €2.08

-59.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$30.71 €27.32

-50.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.79 €1.59

-5.59%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.7K €27.3K

-2.99%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$30.2K €26.9K

-13.48%

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

$156 BGN 272

$333 €296

-53.14%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$13.71 €12.19

57.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$37.38 €33.25

-59.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$45.43 €40.41

1.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$33.27 €29.59

-16.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$13.64 €12.13

-25.37%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$1,336 €1,189

-42.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$15.8K €14.0K

-18.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$82.5 €73.4

8.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$59.2 €52.7

-30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$111 €98.9

-5.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$123 €110

-13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$676 €601

15.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$550 €489

8.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$935 €832

62.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$791 €704

30.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$4,158 €3,698

4.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,425 €3,047

-7.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$3,072 €2,733

-43.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.5

-17.43%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Wels

$550 29.2% 7.9% $47

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Wels

$362 19.2% 24.6% $71

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Wels

$280 14.9% 10.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Wels

$384 20.4% 99.2% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Wels

$169 9% 9.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Wels

$73 3.9% 9.4% $6.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Wels

$67 3.5% 73.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $676 in Wels. 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 77% higher in Wels, 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 $83.0 in Wels. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $362 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

59,853

💱 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

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Between locations

Sofia Wels 940 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Wels

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 Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,885 in Wels – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,827 in Wels. 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 $1,885 in Wels. That's a gap of about 18%.

Public transport costs about 35% 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 Wels at $1,885. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wels 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 $1,885 in Wels. 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, Wels makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.