Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between The Hague and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,685 in The Hague, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

133

Cost of Living Index in The Hague
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The Hague Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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The Hague

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,685

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,685 per month in The Hague vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

The Hague $2,685
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $4,047 per month in The Hague vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

The Hague $4,047
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $5,409 per month in The Hague vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

The Hague $5,409
Sofia $3,324

The Hague costs about 69% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both The Hague and Sofia sit above the global median – The Hague by 100%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.22 €19.83

$17.10 BGN 29.93

29.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.9 €80.2

$66.9 BGN 117

34.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.31 €13.66

$11.77 BGN 20.59

30.08%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$3.42 BGN 5.99

26.32%

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

$4.26 €3.80

$2.42 BGN 4.23

76.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.19 €3.74

$1.86 BGN 3.26

125.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.14 €6.37

$3.33 BGN 5.83

114.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.81 €6.97

$4.53 BGN 7.92

72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-22.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.51 BGN 2.64

50.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.21 BGN 3.88

14.48%

Eggs

$4.55 €4.06

$4.40 BGN 7.69

3.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 €13.30

$11.56 BGN 20.22

28.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.82 €11.44

$8.79 BGN 15.38

45.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.01 €16.97

$16.97 BGN 29.71

12.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.17 BGN 3.79

21.20%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$2.04 BGN 3.57

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.84 BGN 3.22

11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.58 €3.20

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-16.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.03 BGN 1.80

32.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$0.93 BGN 1.62

38.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.06

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-5.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.60 €13.03

$4.30 BGN 7.53

239.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 €5.18

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.18 BGN 2.06

9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.87 BGN 3.28

1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.43 €3.95

$0.87 BGN 1.52

409.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.7 €83.6

$28.14 BGN 49.24

233.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.62 €4.12

$1.74 BGN 3.04

165.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.44 €3.07

$0.96 BGN 1.68

258.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.53

$15.54 BGN 27.19

120.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.79 BGN 3.14

46.93%

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

$41.2K €36.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

37.49%

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

$39.2K €35.0K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

48.69%

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

$280 €250

$156 BGN 273

79.57%

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

$28.43 €25.37

$21.21 BGN 37.11

34.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.2 €48.40

$15.64 BGN 27.37

246.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.82

$46.76 BGN 81.8

7.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.51 €21.87

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-11.64%

Cinema Ticket

$17.03 €15.20

$10.02 BGN 17.53

69.96%

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

$2,418 €2,157

$766 BGN 1,341

215.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K €10.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-7.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.3 €83.3

$89.7 BGN 157

4.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.31 €38.65

$40.88 BGN 71.5

5.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.5

$106 BGN 186

-0.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$139 €124

$105 BGN 183

32.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,666 €1,487

$796 BGN 1,393

109.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,300 €1,160

$607 BGN 1,063

113.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,799 €2,498

$1,563 BGN 2,735

79.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 €2,030

$1,060 BGN 1,855

114.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,156 €5,494

$4,357 BGN 7,626

41.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,536 €4,048

$3,250 BGN 5,688

39.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,034 €3,600

$1,740 BGN 3,044

131.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.4

2.89

17.65%

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

Last update for The Hague: 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

The Hague

$1.3K 47.4%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 53.3% $692

Monthly Utilities & Internet

The Hague

$363 13.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 46.8% $170

Eating Out

The Hague

$361 13.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 29% $105

Groceries & Markets

The Hague

$328 12%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 12.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

The Hague

$172 6.3%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 10.5% $18

Getting Around

The Hague

$133 4.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 71.4% $95

Sport & Entertainment

The Hague

$84 3.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 20.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,666 in The Hague 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 132% higher in The Hague, 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 $90.0 in The Hague versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇱 The Hague

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:14 10:14 AM

11:14 11:14 AM

1 h ahead of The Hague

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

562,839

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

The Hague Sofia 1,760 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

The Hague
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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

The Hague vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,685 in The Hague, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,027 per month in The Hague 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 $2,685 in The Hague and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 69%.

Public transport costs about 233% 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 The Hague at $2,685. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in The Hague it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. The Hague has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $2,685 in The Hague. 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, The Hague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.