Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stavanger and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $3,140 in Stavanger, rent and utilities included – about $18,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

153

Cost of Living Index in Stavanger
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Stavanger Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Stavanger

🇳🇴 Norway

$3,140

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,140 per month in Stavanger vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Stavanger $3,140
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $4,513 per month in Stavanger vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Stavanger $4,513
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $5,886 per month in Stavanger vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Stavanger $5,886
Sofia $3,324

Stavanger costs about 98% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stavanger and Sofia sit above the global median – Stavanger by 134%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.58 NOK 235

$17.10 BGN 29.93

43.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.3 NOK 929

$66.9 BGN 117

45.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 NOK 152

$11.77 BGN 20.59

35.51%

Cappuccino

$6.25 NOK 59.7

$3.42 BGN 5.99

82.75%

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

$5.41 NOK 51.7

$2.42 BGN 4.23

123.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 NOK 40.57

$1.86 BGN 3.26

128.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 NOK 130

$3.33 BGN 5.83

310.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$11.78 NOK 112

$4.53 BGN 7.92

160.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.37 NOK 22.61

$1.92 BGN 3.36

23.44%

White Bread (500g)

$3.47 NOK 33.14

$1.51 BGN 2.64

129.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.83 NOK 36.59

$2.21 BGN 3.88

73.30%

Eggs

$4.70 NOK 44.87

$4.40 BGN 7.69

6.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.36 NOK 137

$11.56 BGN 20.22

24.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.81 NOK 161

$8.79 BGN 15.38

91.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$34.43 NOK 329

$16.97 BGN 29.71

102.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 NOK 32.68

$2.17 BGN 3.79

57.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 26.00

$2.04 BGN 3.57

33.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.54 NOK 33.78

$1.84 BGN 3.22

92.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.91 NOK 46.90

$4.29 BGN 7.51

14.45%

Potato (1kg)

$2.55 NOK 24.35

$1.03 BGN 1.80

147.57%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 NOK 29.79

$0.93 BGN 1.62

235.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.81 NOK 26.81

$1.20 BGN 2.11

134.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.34 NOK 22.33

$0.92 BGN 1.62

154.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.13 NOK 164

$4.30 BGN 7.53

298.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.45 NOK 176

$7.33 BGN 12.83

151.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.72 NOK 35.54

$1.18 BGN 2.06

215.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 NOK 42.52

$1.87 BGN 3.28

137.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.76 NOK 45.49

$0.87 BGN 1.52

447.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.0 NOK 831

$28.14 BGN 49.24

209.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.09 NOK 58.2

$1.74 BGN 3.04

250.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 NOK 16.69

$0.96 BGN 1.68

82.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$103 NOK 981

$15.54 BGN 27.19

560.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 NOK 22.50

$1.79 BGN 3.14

31.84%

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

$47.3K NOK 451.6K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

57.73%

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

$40.4K NOK 386.0K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

53.28%

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

$245 NOK 2,337

$156 BGN 273

56.89%

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

$35.29 NOK 337

$21.21 BGN 37.11

66.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$81.6 NOK 779

$15.64 BGN 27.37

421.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 NOK 480

$46.76 BGN 81.8

7.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.81 NOK 352

$27.74 BGN 48.54

32.70%

Cinema Ticket

$22.03 NOK 210

$10.02 BGN 17.53

119.86%

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

$322 NOK 3,080

$766 BGN 1,341

-57.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.1K NOK 134.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

10.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$127 NOK 1,212

$89.7 BGN 157

41.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.1 NOK 574

$40.88 BGN 71.5

46.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 NOK 1,459

$106 BGN 186

44.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$204 NOK 1,948

$105 BGN 183

94.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,658 NOK 15.8K

$796 BGN 1,393

108.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,380 NOK 13.2K

$607 BGN 1,063

127.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,766 NOK 26.4K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

76.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,016 NOK 19.3K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

90.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,196 NOK 59.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

42.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,307 NOK 50.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

63.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,951 NOK 47.3K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

184.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

2.89

82.35%

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

Last update for Stavanger: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stavanger

$1.4K 43.6%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 56% $772

Groceries & Markets

Stavanger

$513 16.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 44% $225

Eating Out

Stavanger

$450 14.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 43.1% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stavanger

$362 11.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 46.7% $169

Clothing & Footwear

Stavanger

$245 7.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 37.2% $91

Getting Around

Stavanger

$121 3.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 68.4% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Stavanger

$94 3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 29.2% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,658 in Stavanger 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 185% higher in Stavanger, 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 $97.0 in Stavanger versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $513 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Stavanger

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h ahead of Stavanger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,330

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 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 NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stavanger Sofia 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Stavanger
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

Stavanger vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,140 in Stavanger, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 98% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,710 per month in Stavanger 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 $3,140 in Stavanger and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 98%.

Public transport costs about 209% 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 Stavanger at $3,140. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stavanger it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Stavanger has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $3,140 in Stavanger. 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, Stavanger makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.