Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Stockholm vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Stockholm $2,548
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $3,806 per month in Stockholm vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Stockholm $3,806
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $5,064 per month in Stockholm vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Stockholm $5,064
Sofia $3,324

Stockholm costs about 60% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Stockholm and Sofia sit above the global median – Stockholm by 90%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 SEK 182

$17.10 BGN 29.93

6.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 SEK 978

$66.9 BGN 117

46.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 SEK 117

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-0.51%

Cappuccino

$4.89 SEK 48.92

$3.42 BGN 5.99

42.98%

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

$3.72 SEK 37.15

$2.42 BGN 4.23

53.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 SEK 30.29

$1.86 BGN 3.26

62.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 SEK 81.5

$3.33 BGN 5.83

145.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 SEK 89.5

$4.53 BGN 7.92

97.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.05

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-5.73%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 SEK 38.41

$1.51 BGN 2.64

154.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.52

$2.21 BGN 3.88

69.68%

Eggs

$5.04 SEK 50.4

$4.40 BGN 7.69

14.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 SEK 129

$11.56 BGN 20.22

11.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 SEK 127

$8.79 BGN 15.38

44.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 SEK 217

$16.97 BGN 29.71

27.87%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 36.03

$2.17 BGN 3.79

66.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 SEK 27.97

$2.04 BGN 3.57

37.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 31.36

$1.84 BGN 3.22

70.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$4.29 BGN 7.51

1.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.99

$1.03 BGN 1.80

65.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 SEK 17.83

$0.93 BGN 1.62

91.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.06

$1.20 BGN 2.11

109.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 SEK 24.33

$0.92 BGN 1.62

164.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.52 SEK 85.1

$4.30 BGN 7.53

98.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 SEK 118

$7.33 BGN 12.83

61.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.29

$1.18 BGN 2.06

72.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.49

$1.87 BGN 3.28

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 SEK 43.11

$0.87 BGN 1.52

395.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 SEK 1,059

$28.14 BGN 49.24

276.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 SEK 58.3

$1.74 BGN 3.04

235.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 15.09

$0.96 BGN 1.68

57.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.0 SEK 560

$15.54 BGN 27.19

260.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.90

$1.79 BGN 3.14

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

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

11.08%

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

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

29.18%

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

$248 SEK 2,479

$156 BGN 273

59.05%

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

$21.17 SEK 212

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-0.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.91 SEK 399

$15.64 BGN 27.37

155.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 SEK 475

$46.76 BGN 81.8

1.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.80 SEK 388

$27.74 BGN 48.54

39.87%

Cinema Ticket

$19.19 SEK 192

$10.02 BGN 17.53

91.52%

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

$159 SEK 1,585

$766 BGN 1,341

-79.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

28.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 SEK 1,119

$89.7 BGN 157

24.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 SEK 574

$40.88 BGN 71.5

40.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 SEK 1,340

$106 BGN 186

26.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 SEK 1,809

$105 BGN 183

72.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

$796 BGN 1,393

112.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

$607 BGN 1,063

79.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

90.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

68.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

155.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

94.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

101.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

2.89

16.61%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 44.2% $481

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$415 16.1%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 30.7% $128

Eating Out

Stockholm

$326 12.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 21.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$309 12%

Sofia

$193 12% 37.6% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$218 8.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 29.6% $64

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 72.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$86 3.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 22.2% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,694 in Stockholm 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 101% higher in Stockholm, 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 $98.0 in Stockholm versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

1 h ahead of Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Sofia 1,880 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,548 in Stockholm, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 60% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,821 per month in Stockholm 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 $2,548 in Stockholm and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 60%.

Public transport costs about 277% 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 Stockholm at $2,548. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Stockholm has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $2,548 in Stockholm. 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, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.