Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yens and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $3,329 in Yens, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

162

Cost of Living Index in Yens
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Yens Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Yens

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,329

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,329 per month in Yens vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Yens $3,329
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $5,100 per month in Yens vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Yens $5,100
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $6,872 per month in Yens vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Yens $6,872
Sofia $3,361

Yens costs about 109% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Yens and Sofia sit above the global median – Yens by 147%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.34 CHF 24.16

$16.87 BGN 29.35

73.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$119 CHF 98.0

$65.8 BGN 115

80.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.95 CHF 13.14

$11.32 BGN 19.69

40.90%

Cappuccino

$6.00 CHF 4.94

$3.43 BGN 5.98

74.93%

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

$4.95 CHF 4.08

$2.41 BGN 4.19

105.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.27 CHF 3.51

$1.85 BGN 3.22

130.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.07 CHF 7.47

$3.70 BGN 6.44

145.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.69 CHF 6.34

$4.58 BGN 7.97

67.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 CHF 1.76

$2.02 BGN 3.51

5.45%

White Bread (500g)

$2.99 CHF 2.46

$1.56 BGN 2.72

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.18 CHF 2.62

$2.33 BGN 4.05

36.48%

Eggs

$7.17 CHF 5.91

$4.36 BGN 7.59

64.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.95 CHF 19.73

$11.76 BGN 20.47

103.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.06 CHF 23.11

$8.83 BGN 15.37

217.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$39.38 CHF 32.44

$17.46 BGN 30.38

125.54%

Apples (1kg)

$3.63 CHF 2.99

$2.15 BGN 3.74

68.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 CHF 1.61

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-1.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 CHF 2.08

$1.93 BGN 3.37

30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.43 CHF 3.65

$4.24 BGN 7.37

4.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 CHF 1.34

$1.04 BGN 1.80

55.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.94 CHF 1.60

$0.85 BGN 1.48

128.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.98 CHF 1.63

$1.15 BGN 2.00

72.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 CHF 1.05

$0.89 BGN 1.56

42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.70 CHF 8.81

$4.21 BGN 7.33

154.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.98 CHF 9.87

$7.46 BGN 12.98

60.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 CHF 1.85

$1.15 BGN 2.01

94.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 CHF 2.36

$1.85 BGN 3.23

54.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$0.87 BGN 1.51

426.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$98.4 CHF 81.0

$28.53 BGN 49.65

244.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.70 CHF 6.34

$1.68 BGN 2.93

358.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.56 CHF 3.75

$0.94 BGN 1.63

385.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$84.2 CHF 69.3

$15.35 BGN 26.70

448.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.36 CHF 1.94

$1.69 BGN 2.94

39.64%

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

$41.9K CHF 34.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

40.57%

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

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

51.91%

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

$274 CHF 225

$156 BGN 272

75.33%

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

$27.35 CHF 22.52

$21.56 BGN 37.52

26.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 CHF 42.31

$15.24 BGN 26.51

237.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.6 CHF 73.8

$46.08 BGN 80.2

94.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.51 CHF 37.48

$27.92 BGN 48.58

63.00%

Cinema Ticket

$24.00 CHF 19.76

$10.18 BGN 17.72

135.76%

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

$2,954 CHF 2,433

$774 BGN 1,347

281.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

136.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$141 CHF 116

$89.9 BGN 157

56.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.4 CHF 50.6

$41.29 BGN 71.8

48.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 CHF 114

$105 BGN 183

31.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$197 CHF 162

$107 BGN 186

84.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,679 CHF 1,383

$783 BGN 1,362

114.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 CHF 1,186

$597 BGN 1,038

141.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,839 CHF 2,338

$1,516 BGN 2,638

87.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,494 CHF 2,054

$1,030 BGN 1,792

142.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$16.2K CHF 13.3K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

271.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$12.0K CHF 9,900

$3,177 BGN 5,528

278.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.95

2.89

-32.53%

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

Last update for Yens: 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

Yens

$1.4K 43.3%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 58.5% $843

Groceries & Markets

Yens

$558 16.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 47.9% $267

Eating Out

Yens

$452 13.6%

Sofia

$255 16% 43.7% $197

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yens

$352 10.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 45.3% $160

Clothing & Footwear

Yens

$242 7.3%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 36.2% $87

Getting Around

Yens

$147 4.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 73.9% $109

Sport & Entertainment

Yens

$138 4.1%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 51.7% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,679 in Yens 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $119 in Yens versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $558 vs $290 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Yens

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

09:24 9:24 AM

1 h ahead of Yens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,200

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 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 CHF in detail →

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Between locations

Yens Sofia 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Yens
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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

Yens vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,329 in Yens, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,993 per month in Yens 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 $3,329 in Yens and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 109%.

Public transport costs about 245% 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 Yens at $3,329. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Yens 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 $3,329 in Yens. 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, Yens makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.