Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ulm and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,139 in Ulm, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

104

Cost of Living Index in Ulm
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Ulm Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Ulm

🇩🇪 Germany

$2,139

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,139 per month in Ulm vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Ulm $2,139
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $3,265 per month in Ulm vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Ulm $3,265
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $4,390 per month in Ulm vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Ulm $4,390
Sofia $3,324

Ulm costs about 35% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ulm and Sofia sit above the global median – Ulm by 60%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.64 €14.85

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-2.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.4 €59.3

$66.9 BGN 117

-0.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.29 €11.86

$11.77 BGN 20.59

12.91%

Cappuccino

$3.80 €3.39

$3.42 BGN 5.99

11.11%

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

$4.67 €4.16

$2.42 BGN 4.23

92.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.86 BGN 3.26

3.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 €4.17

$3.33 BGN 5.83

40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-2.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-24.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.51 BGN 2.64

31.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.18 €3.73

$2.21 BGN 3.88

89.14%

Eggs

$3.61 €3.22

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-17.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.40 €12.85

$11.56 BGN 20.22

24.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.23 €9.13

$8.79 BGN 15.38

16.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.47 €22.73

$16.97 BGN 29.71

50.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.48 €3.11

$2.17 BGN 3.79

60.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$2.04 BGN 3.57

10.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 €1.77

$1.84 BGN 3.22

7.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 €3.47

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-9.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 €0.93

$1.03 BGN 1.80

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.93 BGN 1.62

21.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.20 BGN 2.11

40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.92 BGN 1.62

31.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.97 €8.89

$4.30 BGN 7.53

131.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.03

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-23.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-2.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-20.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.87 BGN 1.52

266.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.6 €57.7

$28.14 BGN 49.24

129.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.79 BGN 3.14

17.88%

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

$32.7K €29.2K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

9.09%

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

$38.6K €34.5K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

46.48%

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

$384 €342

$156 BGN 273

146.07%

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

$34.18 €30.50

$21.21 BGN 37.11

61.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 €47.12

$15.64 BGN 27.37

237.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.91 €30.26

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-27.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.47 €20.05

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-19.00%

Cinema Ticket

$13.50 €12.05

$10.02 BGN 17.53

34.73%

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

$451 €402

$766 BGN 1,341

-41.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.9K €11.5K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

0.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.9

$89.7 BGN 157

1.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 €49.37

$40.88 BGN 71.5

35.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.4 €82.5

$106 BGN 186

-12.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$105 BGN 183

43.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$958 €855

$796 BGN 1,393

20.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$607 BGN 1,063

24.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,684

$1,563 BGN 2,735

20.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,515 €1,352

$1,060 BGN 1,855

42.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,993 €5,349

$4,357 BGN 7,626

37.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,946 €3,522

$3,250 BGN 5,688

21.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,754 €3,350

$1,740 BGN 3,044

115.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.97

2.89

37.37%

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

Last update for Ulm: 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

Ulm

$756 35%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 19.6% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ulm

$471 21.8%

Sofia

$193 12% 59% $278

Groceries & Markets

Ulm

$341 15.8%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 15.8% $54

Eating Out

Ulm

$277 12.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 7.6% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Ulm

$175 8.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 12.1% $21

Getting Around

Ulm

$77 * 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 50.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Ulm

$61 2.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 9.6% $5.9

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $958 in Ulm 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 116% higher in Ulm, 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 $66.0 in Ulm versus $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $341 in Ulm vs $287 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Ulm

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Ulm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

121,648

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

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Ulm Sofia 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Ulm
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

Ulm vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,139 in Ulm, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,208 per month in Ulm 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 $2,139 in Ulm and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 130% 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 Ulm at $2,139. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ulm 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 $2,139 in Ulm. 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, Ulm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.