Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Gallen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,632 in St. Gallen, rent and utilities included – about $24,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

178

Cost of Living Index in St. Gallen
Learn more

St. Gallen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

St. Gallen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,632

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,632 per month in St. Gallen vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Gallen $3,632
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $5,284 per month in St. Gallen vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Gallen $5,284
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $6,937 per month in St. Gallen vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Gallen $6,937
Sofia $3,324

St. Gallen costs about 129% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both St. Gallen and Sofia sit above the global median – St. Gallen by 171%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.41 CHF 24.41

$17.10 BGN 29.93

71.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$145 CHF 121

$66.9 BGN 117

117.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$17.82 CHF 14.79

$11.77 BGN 20.59

51.40%

Cappuccino

$5.99 CHF 4.97

$3.42 BGN 5.99

75.15%

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

$5.81 CHF 4.83

$2.42 BGN 4.23

140.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 CHF 4.42

$1.86 BGN 3.26

186.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.23 CHF 7.66

$3.33 BGN 5.83

177.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.12

$4.53 BGN 7.92

36.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.85

$1.92 BGN 3.36

16.15%

White Bread (500g)

$3.18 CHF 2.64

$1.51 BGN 2.64

110.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 CHF 3.06

$2.21 BGN 3.88

66.52%

Eggs

$7.68 CHF 6.37

$4.40 BGN 7.69

74.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.41 CHF 21.09

$11.56 BGN 20.22

119.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.97 CHF 24.05

$8.79 BGN 15.38

229.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.85 CHF 32.25

$16.97 BGN 29.71

128.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.16 CHF 2.62

$2.17 BGN 3.79

45.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 CHF 1.33

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-21.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$1.84 BGN 3.22

25.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.01 CHF 4.99

$4.29 BGN 7.51

40.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 CHF 1.41

$1.03 BGN 1.80

65.05%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.80

$0.93 BGN 1.62

132.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.16 CHF 1.79

$1.20 BGN 2.11

80.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 CHF 0.98

$0.92 BGN 1.62

28.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.65 CHF 8.84

$4.30 BGN 7.53

147.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 CHF 9.39

$7.33 BGN 12.83

54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 CHF 1.81

$1.18 BGN 2.06

84.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 CHF 1.92

$1.87 BGN 3.28

23.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.17 CHF 3.46

$0.87 BGN 1.52

379.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$128 CHF 106

$28.14 BGN 49.24

355.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.64 CHF 5.51

$1.74 BGN 3.04

281.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.79 CHF 3.98

$0.96 BGN 1.68

398.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$77.3 CHF 64.2

$15.54 BGN 27.19

397.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.84

$1.79 BGN 3.14

24.02%

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

$35.3K CHF 29.3K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

17.80%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

49.64%

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

$305 CHF 253

$156 BGN 273

95.61%

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

$38.46 CHF 31.92

$21.21 BGN 37.11

81.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 CHF 44.95

$15.64 BGN 27.37

246.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.7 CHF 67.0

$46.76 BGN 81.8

72.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$30.32 CHF 25.16

$10.02 BGN 17.53

202.59%

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

$2,308 CHF 1,915

$766 BGN 1,341

201.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.8K CHF 26.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

148.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 CHF 122

$89.7 BGN 157

63.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$64.6 CHF 53.7

$40.88 BGN 71.5

58.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 122

$106 BGN 186

38.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 CHF 148

$105 BGN 183

70.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,734 CHF 1,439

$796 BGN 1,393

117.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 CHF 1,410

$607 BGN 1,063

179.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,854 CHF 2,369

$1,563 BGN 2,735

82.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,153 CHF 1,787

$1,060 BGN 1,855

103.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.1K CHF 10.0K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

177.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,070 CHF 7,528

$3,250 BGN 5,688

179.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,528 CHF 5,418

$1,740 BGN 3,044

275.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.1

2.89

-27.34%

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

Last update for St. Gallen: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Gallen

$1.7K 46%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 64.2% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

St. Gallen

$572 15.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 49.8% $285

Eating Out

St. Gallen

$464 12.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 44.8% $208

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Gallen

$398 10.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 51.5% $205

Clothing & Footwear

St. Gallen

$242 6.6%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 36.4% $88

Getting Around

St. Gallen

$176 4.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 78.3% $137

Sport & Entertainment

St. Gallen

$141 3.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 52.7% $75

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,734 in St. Gallen versus $796 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 275% higher in St. Gallen, 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 $145 in St. Gallen versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $572 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 St. Gallen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h ahead of St. Gallen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,213

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.2 USD

1 CHF = 1.07 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.83 CHF (1 CHF = 1.2 USD). 1 EUR = 0.931 CHF (1 CHF = 1.07 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. Gallen Sofia 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

St. Gallen
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

St. Gallen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,632 in St. Gallen, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,447 per month in St. Gallen and $2,384 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 $3,632 in St. Gallen and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 129%.

Public transport costs about 356% 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 $1,589, than in St. Gallen at $3,632. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Gallen 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 $1,589 in Sofia to $3,632 in St. Gallen. 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, St. Gallen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.