Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. Julians and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $2,257 in St. Julians, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in St. Julians
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St. Julians Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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St. Julians

🇲🇹 Malta

$2,257

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,257 per month in St. Julians vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Julians $2,257
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $3,588 per month in St. Julians vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Julians $3,588
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $4,919 per month in St. Julians vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

St. Julians $4,919
Sofia $3,380

St. Julians costs about 41% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both St. Julians and Sofia sit above the global median – St. Julians by 67%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.12 €17.90

$16.96 BGN 29.51

18.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.0 €88.1

$68.3 BGN 119

45.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.09 €9.87

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-4.56%

Cappuccino

$3.27 €2.91

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-4.66%

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

$3.06 €2.72

$2.34 BGN 4.08

30.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.83 BGN 3.19

3.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.06

$3.41 BGN 5.93

34.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 €4.06

$4.44 BGN 7.73

2.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-37.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.49 BGN 2.59

17.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 €3.00

$2.33 BGN 4.05

45.06%

Eggs

$4.54 €4.04

$4.41 BGN 7.68

2.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.83 €16.75

$11.54 BGN 20.08

63.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.64 €9.46

$8.88 BGN 15.44

19.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 €15.97

$17.51 BGN 30.46

2.51%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.15 BGN 3.74

40.93%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$2.07 BGN 3.60

-0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.88 €2.56

$1.93 BGN 3.37

49.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 €2.16

$1.03 BGN 1.79

135.92%

Onion (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$0.88 BGN 1.54

171.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.19 BGN 2.07

60.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.89 BGN 1.55

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.77 €6.02

$4.23 BGN 7.35

60.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.21 €6.42

$7.87 BGN 13.69

-8.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.18 BGN 2.06

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.89 BGN 3.29

24.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 €2.27

$0.93 BGN 1.62

174.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.59 €4.09

$1.68 BGN 2.93

173.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.96 BGN 1.68

71.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.13 €34.80

$15.36 BGN 26.73

154.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-12.99%

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

$27.5K €24.5K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

-9.78%

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

$39.5K €35.2K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

57.65%

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

$76.7 €68.2

$157 BGN 273

-51.20%

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

$35.28 €31.38

$21.12 BGN 36.74

67.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.16 €31.27

$15.32 BGN 26.65

129.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 €84.1

$46.39 BGN 80.7

103.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.97 €35.56

$28.09 BGN 48.87

42.29%

Cinema Ticket

$11.39 €10.13

$10.04 BGN 17.46

13.45%

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

$618 €550

$775 BGN 1,348

-20.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.9K €12.4K

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

11.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$146 €130

$88.1 BGN 153

65.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.1 €49.02

$41.39 BGN 72.0

33.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 €108

$107 BGN 186

13.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$164 €146

$106 BGN 185

54.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 €1,237

$770 BGN 1,340

80.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,124 €999

$602 BGN 1,048

86.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,555 €2,273

$1,564 BGN 2,721

63.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 €1,816

$1,036 BGN 1,803

97.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,727 €5,094

$4,567 BGN 7,946

25.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,143 €2,796

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-0.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,426 €2,158

$1,742 BGN 3,031

39.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.22

2.89

11.42%

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

Last update for St. Julians: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

St. Julians

$1.1K 49.8%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 46.4% $521

Groceries & Markets

St. Julians

$342 15.1%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 14.8% $51

Eating Out

St. Julians

$285 12.6%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 10.8% $31

Clothing & Footwear

St. Julians

$219 9.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 29.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. Julians

$147 6.5%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 31.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

St. Julians

$117 5.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 43.3% $51

Getting Around

St. Julians

$23 * 1%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 67% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,391 in St. Julians versus $770 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 39% higher in St. Julians, 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 $99.0 in St. Julians versus $68.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $291 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇲🇹 St. Julians

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h ahead of St. Julians

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,792

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

St. Julians Sofia 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $2,257 in St. Julians, $1,600 in Sofia – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,385 per month in St. Julians and $2,400 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 $99.0 in St. Julians and $68.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in St. Julians, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in St. Julians at $2,257. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. Julians it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. St. Julians has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,600 in Sofia to $2,257 in St. Julians. 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. Julians makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.