Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Solothurn and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $2,728 in Solothurn, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in Solothurn
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Solothurn Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Solothurn

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,728

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Solothurn 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 Solothurn and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,728 per month in Solothurn vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Solothurn $2,728
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $4,408 per month in Solothurn vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Solothurn $4,408
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $6,088 per month in Solothurn vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Solothurn $6,088
Sofia $3,361

Solothurn costs about 71% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Solothurn and Sofia sit above the global median – Solothurn by 102%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.10 CHF 24.79

$16.87 BGN 29.35

78.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$143 CHF 118

$65.8 BGN 115

117.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.34 CHF 15.10

$11.32 BGN 19.69

62.01%

Cappuccino

$6.40 CHF 5.27

$3.43 BGN 5.98

86.59%

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

$5.50 CHF 4.53

$2.41 BGN 4.19

128.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.11 CHF 4.21

$1.85 BGN 3.22

176.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.42 CHF 5.28

$3.70 BGN 6.44

73.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.95 CHF 4.90

$4.58 BGN 7.97

29.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.20 CHF 1.81

$2.02 BGN 3.51

8.91%

White Bread (500g)

$3.71 CHF 3.05

$1.56 BGN 2.72

137.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.81

$2.33 BGN 4.05

46.78%

Eggs

$8.35 CHF 6.88

$4.36 BGN 7.59

91.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.38 CHF 18.43

$11.76 BGN 20.47

90.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.23 CHF 21.61

$8.83 BGN 15.37

197.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$62.0 CHF 51.1

$17.46 BGN 30.38

255.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 CHF 2.30

$2.15 BGN 3.74

30.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 CHF 1.16

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-29.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.46 CHF 2.85

$1.93 BGN 3.37

79.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 CHF 3.55

$4.24 BGN 7.37

1.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 CHF 1.34

$1.04 BGN 1.80

56.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 CHF 1.44

$0.85 BGN 1.48

104.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.60 CHF 1.32

$1.15 BGN 2.00

39.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 CHF 0.78

$0.89 BGN 1.56

6.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.83 CHF 8.92

$4.21 BGN 7.33

157.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.82 CHF 11.38

$7.46 BGN 12.98

85.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.76 CHF 2.27

$1.15 BGN 2.01

140.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 CHF 2.50

$1.85 BGN 3.23

64.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.77 CHF 3.93

$0.87 BGN 1.51

448.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 CHF 6.76

$1.68 BGN 2.93

388.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.66 CHF 3.84

$0.94 BGN 1.63

395.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.2 CHF 71.8

$15.35 BGN 26.70

468.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.69 BGN 2.94

33.73%

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

$29.9K CHF 24.6K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

0.41%

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

$35.8K CHF 29.5K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

37.16%

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

$96.7 CHF 79.6

$156 BGN 272

-38.08%

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

$30.46 CHF 25.09

$21.56 BGN 37.52

41.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.5 CHF 44.86

$15.24 BGN 26.51

257.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.2

$46.08 BGN 80.2

95.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.71 CHF 13.76

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-40.15%

Cinema Ticket

$17.70 CHF 14.57

$10.18 BGN 17.72

73.87%

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

$3,585 CHF 2,952

$774 BGN 1,347

363.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.6K CHF 16.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

52.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$142 CHF 117

$89.9 BGN 157

57.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.66 CHF 35.14

$41.29 BGN 71.8

3.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$162 CHF 134

$105 BGN 183

54.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$251 CHF 206

$107 BGN 186

134.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,132 CHF 933

$783 BGN 1,362

44.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,020 CHF 840

$597 BGN 1,038

70.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,823 CHF 1,501

$1,516 BGN 2,638

20.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,760 CHF 1,449

$1,030 BGN 1,792

70.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,738 CHF 8,021

$4,350 BGN 7,568

123.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,850 CHF 3,994

$3,177 BGN 5,528

52.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,725 CHF 5,538

$1,735 BGN 3,019

287.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.07

2.89

-28.37%

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

Last update for Solothurn: 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

Solothurn

$1K 37.4%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 41.5% $424

Groceries & Markets

Solothurn

$622 22.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 53.3% $331

Eating Out

Solothurn

$459 16.8%

Sofia

$255 16% 44.5% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Solothurn

$269 9.9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 42.5% $114

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Solothurn

$182 6.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 6.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Solothurn

$125 4.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 47% $59

Getting Around

Solothurn

$51 * 1.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 24.1% $12

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,132 in Solothurn 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 288% higher in Solothurn, 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 $143 in Solothurn versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $622 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Solothurn

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

00:36 12:36 AM

01:36 1:36 AM

1 h ahead of Solothurn

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,599

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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 CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Solothurn Sofia 1,340 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Solothurn
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

Solothurn vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,728 in Solothurn, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 71% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,091 per month in Solothurn 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $143 in Solothurn and $66.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 114% more in Solothurn, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Solothurn at $2,728. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Solothurn 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 $2,728 in Solothurn. 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, Solothurn makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.