Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vasteras and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,818 in Vasteras, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Vasteras
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Vasteras Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Vasteras

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,818

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,818 per month in Vasteras vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Vasteras $1,818
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $2,764 per month in Vasteras vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Vasteras $2,764
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $3,710 per month in Vasteras vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Vasteras $3,710
Sofia $3,361

Vasteras costs about 14% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Vasteras and Sofia sit above the global median – Vasteras by 35%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.70 SEK 136

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-18.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.6 SEK 640

$65.8 BGN 115

-1.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.91 SEK 98.2

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-12.46%

Cappuccino

$4.23 SEK 41.92

$3.43 BGN 5.98

23.32%

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

$2.25 SEK 22.27

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-6.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SEK 21.97

$1.85 BGN 3.22

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.15 SEK 70.8

$3.70 BGN 6.44

93.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$4.58 BGN 7.97

54.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 SEK 13.87

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-30.69%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 SEK 29.70

$1.56 BGN 2.72

92.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.57 SEK 35.37

$2.33 BGN 4.05

53.22%

Eggs

$3.89 SEK 38.55

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-10.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.11 SEK 120

$11.76 BGN 20.47

2.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.74 SEK 126

$8.83 BGN 15.37

44.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 SEK 221

$17.46 BGN 30.38

27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 SEK 31.59

$2.15 BGN 3.74

48.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.53 SEK 25.05

$1.98 BGN 3.44

27.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.67 SEK 36.37

$1.93 BGN 3.37

90.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.39 SEK 43.46

$4.24 BGN 7.37

3.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.55

$1.04 BGN 1.80

41.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.80

$0.85 BGN 1.48

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.18 SEK 21.62

$1.15 BGN 2.00

89.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 SEK 14.73

$0.89 BGN 1.56

67.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.08 SEK 70.2

$4.21 BGN 7.33

68.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.30 SEK 132

$7.46 BGN 12.98

78.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 SEK 13.10

$1.15 BGN 2.01

14.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 SEK 21.54

$1.85 BGN 3.23

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.32 SEK 32.88

$0.87 BGN 1.51

281.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 SEK 700

$28.53 BGN 49.65

147.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 SEK 34.78

$1.68 BGN 2.93

108.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.50 SEK 24.78

$0.94 BGN 1.63

165.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.0 SEK 802

$15.35 BGN 26.70

427.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.66 SEK 16.49

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-1.78%

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

$33.2K SEK 328.6K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

11.30%

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

$32.0K SEK 317.5K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

22.59%

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

$183 SEK 1,817

$156 BGN 272

17.50%

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

$22.17 SEK 220

$21.56 BGN 37.52

2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.15 SEK 428

$15.24 BGN 26.51

183.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.14 SEK 338

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-25.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.65 SEK 195

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-29.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.74 SEK 166

$10.18 BGN 17.72

64.44%

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

$151 SEK 1,499

$774 BGN 1,347

-80.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,881 SEK 48.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-61.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 SEK 1,002

$89.9 BGN 157

12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.24 SEK 399

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-2.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$86.7 SEK 859

$105 BGN 183

-17.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$134 SEK 1,323

$107 BGN 186

25.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$750 SEK 7,429

$783 BGN 1,362

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$601 SEK 5,957

$597 BGN 1,038

0.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,366 SEK 13.5K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-9.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$997 SEK 9,880

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-3.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,564 SEK 35.3K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-18.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,404 SEK 23.8K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-24.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,996 SEK 29.7K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

72.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

2.89

22.15%

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

Last update for Vasteras: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vasteras

$601 33.1%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 0.7% $4.3

Groceries & Markets

Vasteras

$380 20.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 23.6% $90

Eating Out

Vasteras

$258 14.2%

Sofia

$255 16% 1.2% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vasteras

$249 13.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 22.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Vasteras

$163 9%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 5.1% $8.4

Getting Around

Vasteras

$100 5.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 61.6% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Vasteras

$68 3.7%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 1.7% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $750 in Vasteras 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 Vasteras, 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 $65.0 in Vasteras versus $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $380 in Vasteras vs $290 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Vasteras

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:03 1:03 AM

02:03 2:03 AM

1 h ahead of Vasteras

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,877

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

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Between locations

Vasteras Sofia 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Vasteras
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

Vasteras vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,818 in Vasteras, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,728 per month in Vasteras 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 $1,818 in Vasteras and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 148% 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 Vasteras at $1,818. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vasteras it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Vasteras has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,594 in Sofia to $1,818 in Vasteras. 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, Vasteras makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.