Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Uppsala and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,978 in Uppsala, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Uppsala
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Uppsala Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Uppsala

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,978

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,978 per month in Uppsala vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Uppsala $1,978
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $3,051 per month in Uppsala vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Uppsala $3,051
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $4,124 per month in Uppsala vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Uppsala $4,124
Sofia $3,361

Uppsala costs about 24% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Uppsala and Sofia sit above the global median – Uppsala by 46%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.90 SEK 148

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-11.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.0 SEK 802

$65.8 BGN 115

23.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-12.81%

Cappuccino

$4.98 SEK 49.39

$3.43 BGN 5.98

45.19%

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

$3.05 SEK 30.25

$2.41 BGN 4.19

26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 SEK 23.74

$1.85 BGN 3.22

29.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$3.70 BGN 6.44

115.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.87 SEK 97.8

$4.58 BGN 7.97

115.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 17.91

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-10.40%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 SEK 27.57

$1.56 BGN 2.72

78.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.59 SEK 45.48

$2.33 BGN 4.05

97.00%

Eggs

$5.05 SEK 50.1

$4.36 BGN 7.59

15.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 SEK 100

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-13.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.77 SEK 146

$8.83 BGN 15.37

67.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.86 SEK 177

$17.46 BGN 30.38

2.29%

Apples (1kg)

$4.18 SEK 41.42

$2.15 BGN 3.74

94.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.73 SEK 27.06

$1.98 BGN 3.44

37.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.49 SEK 34.63

$1.93 BGN 3.37

80.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.12 SEK 50.7

$4.24 BGN 7.37

20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.94 SEK 19.20

$1.04 BGN 1.80

86.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$0.85 BGN 1.48

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.64 SEK 26.21

$1.15 BGN 2.00

129.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 SEK 12.68

$0.89 BGN 1.56

43.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 SEK 78.9

$4.21 BGN 7.33

89.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$7.46 BGN 12.98

32.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.47 SEK 24.51

$1.15 BGN 2.01

114.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 SEK 24.94

$1.85 BGN 3.23

36.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.92 SEK 38.80

$0.87 BGN 1.51

350.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$111 SEK 1,103

$28.53 BGN 49.65

290.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.33 SEK 52.8

$1.68 BGN 2.93

217.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.32 SEK 13.13

$0.94 BGN 1.63

40.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$61.3 SEK 607

$15.35 BGN 26.70

299.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 SEK 17.54

$1.69 BGN 2.94

4.73%

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

$33.2K SEK 329.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

11.46%

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

$32.1K SEK 318.3K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

22.93%

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

$109 SEK 1,077

$156 BGN 272

-30.34%

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

$15.95 SEK 158

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-26.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.42 SEK 470

$15.24 BGN 26.51

211.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.13 SEK 388

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-15.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.27 SEK 231

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-16.65%

Cinema Ticket

$18.61 SEK 184

$10.18 BGN 17.72

82.81%

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

$126 SEK 1,248

$774 BGN 1,347

-83.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 SEK 1,037

$89.9 BGN 157

16.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.48 SEK 480

$41.29 BGN 71.8

17.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.4 SEK 935

$105 BGN 183

-10.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$200 SEK 1,982

$107 BGN 186

87.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$892 SEK 8,836

$783 BGN 1,362

13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$707 SEK 7,009

$597 BGN 1,038

18.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,750 SEK 17.3K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

15.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 SEK 11.3K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

10.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,186 SEK 51.4K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

19.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,595 SEK 25.7K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-18.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,008 SEK 29.8K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

73.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.8

2.89

31.49%

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

Last update for Uppsala: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Uppsala

$707 35.8%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 15.6% $111

Groceries & Markets

Uppsala

$391 19.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 25.8% $101

Eating Out

Uppsala

$290 14.7%

Sofia

$255 16% 12.1% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Uppsala

$201 10.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 23.4% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Uppsala

$172 8.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 12.1% $21

Getting Around

Uppsala

$139 7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 72.4% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Uppsala

$76 3.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 13% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $892 in Uppsala versus $783 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 73% higher in Uppsala, 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 $81.0 in Uppsala versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $391 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Uppsala

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h ahead of Uppsala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

166,698

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Uppsala Sofia 1,950 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Uppsala
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

Uppsala vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,978 in Uppsala, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,966 per month in Uppsala and $2,391 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 $1,978 in Uppsala and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 24%.

Public transport costs about 290% 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 $1,594, than in Uppsala at $1,978. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Uppsala 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 $1,594 in Sofia to $1,978 in Uppsala. 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, Uppsala makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.