Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solna and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,760 in Solna, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. The total is higher in Solna despite lower rent and utilities.

85

Cost of Living Index in Solna
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Solna Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Solna

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,760

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Solna and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Solna and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,760 per month in Solna vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Solna $1,760
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,721 per month in Solna vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Solna $2,721
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,682 per month in Solna vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Solna $3,682
Sofia $3,361

Solna costs about 10% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Solna and Sofia sit above the global median – Solna by 30%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.11 SEK 140

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-16.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 SEK 653

$65.8 BGN 115

0.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.19 SEK 111

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-1.15%

Cappuccino

$4.74 SEK 46.94

$3.43 BGN 5.98

38.19%

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

$2.26 SEK 22.44

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-6.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 SEK 14.10

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-23.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.48 SEK 74.1

$3.70 BGN 6.44

102.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.32 SEK 72.5

$4.58 BGN 7.97

59.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 SEK 13.71

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-31.68%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 SEK 25.13

$1.56 BGN 2.72

62.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 SEK 34.82

$2.33 BGN 4.05

50.64%

Eggs

$3.88 SEK 38.47

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-11.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.11 SEK 90.2

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-22.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.75 SEK 126

$8.83 BGN 15.37

44.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.97 SEK 218

$17.46 BGN 30.38

25.83%

Apples (1kg)

$3.18 SEK 31.53

$2.15 BGN 3.74

47.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 SEK 20.08

$1.98 BGN 3.44

2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.45 SEK 24.29

$1.93 BGN 3.37

26.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 SEK 28.93

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-31.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.54

$1.04 BGN 1.80

41.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.87 SEK 18.49

$0.85 BGN 1.48

120.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.11 SEK 20.94

$1.15 BGN 2.00

83.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 SEK 10.09

$0.89 BGN 1.56

14.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.38 SEK 73.1

$4.21 BGN 7.33

75.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.19 SEK 131

$7.46 BGN 12.98

76.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 SEK 13.57

$1.15 BGN 2.01

19.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 SEK 21.82

$1.85 BGN 3.23

18.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 SEK 41.30

$0.87 BGN 1.51

379.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.7 SEK 948

$28.53 BGN 49.65

235.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.56 SEK 35.24

$1.68 BGN 2.93

111.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.51 SEK 24.83

$0.94 BGN 1.63

167.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.4 SEK 796

$15.35 BGN 26.70

423.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 SEK 17.87

$1.69 BGN 2.94

6.51%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

11.92%

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

$32.4K SEK 320.9K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

23.92%

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

$103 SEK 1,022

$156 BGN 272

-33.92%

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

$22.72 SEK 225

$21.56 BGN 37.52

5.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 SEK 400

$15.24 BGN 26.51

164.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.85 SEK 375

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-17.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.05 SEK 258

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-6.70%

Cinema Ticket

$14.67 SEK 145

$10.18 BGN 17.72

44.11%

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

$152 SEK 1,505

$774 BGN 1,347

-80.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,015 SEK 49.7K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-60.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,039

$89.9 BGN 157

16.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SEK 400

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-2.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.8 SEK 860

$105 BGN 183

-17.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 SEK 1,334

$107 BGN 186

26.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,869

$783 BGN 1,362

1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$619 SEK 6,132

$597 BGN 1,038

3.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 SEK 13.4K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-10.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,032 SEK 10.2K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

0.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,838 SEK 67.7K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

57.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,815 SEK 27.9K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-11.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,500 SEK 34.7K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

101.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

2.89

22.15%

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

Last update for Solna: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Solna

$619 35.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 3.6% $22

Groceries & Markets

Solna

$345 19.6%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 15.7% $54

Eating Out

Solna

$270 15.3%

Sofia

$255 16% 5.7% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solna

$166 9.4%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 16% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Solna

$165 9.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 6.4% $11

Getting Around

Solna

$128 7.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 70.1% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Solna

$67 3.8%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 1.1% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $794 in Solna versus $783 in Sofia. 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 102% higher in Solna, 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 Solna versus $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $345 in Solna vs $290 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Solna

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:15 10:15 AM

11:15 11:15 AM

1 h ahead of Solna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,540

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Solna Sofia 1,890 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Solna
Sofia

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

Solna vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,760 in Solna, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,641 per month in Solna and $2,391 in Sofia. 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 $1,760 in Solna and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 235% 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 Solna at $1,760. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Solna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Solna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $1,760 in Solna. 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, Solna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.