Cost of Living in Bulgaria 2025

Monthly budget breakdowns for digital nomads and remote workers living in Bulgaria — across budget, mid-range and comfortable tiers.

Last updated: March 2025

Bulgaria is one of the most affordable countries in the EU for digital nomads. A comfortable lifestyle in Sofia costs roughly what a budget lifestyle costs in Western Europe. These figures are based on Sofia — Bansko and smaller cities can be 20–30% cheaper.

All figures are in EUR and represent typical monthly costs for a single person.

Monthly budget tiers

Budget

Shared accommodation, cooking at home, public transport, minimal coworking.

EUR 1,000 per month
Accommodation Room in shared flat, Lozenets or Mladost
EUR 350
Food Cooking at home, occasional local restaurant
EUR 200
Transport Monthly public transport pass
EUR 30
Coworking 10 day passes/month at budget space
EUR 150
Utilities & SIM Phone, internet, electricity share
EUR 60
Entertainment Going out occasionally
EUR 100
Health insurance Basic expat policy
EUR 50
Miscellaneous Clothing, toiletries, subscriptions
EUR 60

Mid-range

Own apartment, mix of cooking and eating out, coworking membership, comfortable lifestyle.

EUR 1,800 per month
Accommodation 1-bed apartment, central Sofia
EUR 700
Food Mix of cooking and eating out
EUR 350
Transport Public transport + occasional taxi/Bolt
EUR 60
Coworking Monthly membership at mid-range space
EUR 250
Utilities & SIM All utilities included
EUR 100
Entertainment Regular going out, gym membership
EUR 150
Health insurance Comprehensive expat policy
EUR 80
Miscellaneous Clothing, toiletries, subscriptions
EUR 110

Comfortable

Premium apartment, dining out regularly, premium coworking, travel and leisure.

EUR 3,000 per month
Accommodation Modern 2-bed apartment, prime location
EUR 1200
Food Regularly eating out at good restaurants
EUR 600
Transport Car rental or regular taxis
EUR 200
Coworking Premium space or private office
EUR 450
Utilities & SIM All utilities, premium phone plan
EUR 150
Entertainment Active social life, events, travel
EUR 250
Health insurance Premium international policy
EUR 150
Miscellaneous Shopping, subscriptions, personal care
EUR 200

How Sofia compares

Relative cost of living index — Sofia vs other popular nomad destinations (London = 100):

London
100
Berlin
75
Amsterdam
85
Lisbon
65
Sofia
40
Bansko
32

Key things to know

Accommodation

Sofia has a wide range of short-stay apartments available on Airbnb, Booking.com and local platforms. Month-to-month leases are common and landlords are generally flexible with foreigners. Prices have risen since 2022 but remain well below Western European levels. The neighbourhoods of Lozenets, Izgrev, and Ivan Vazov offer the best balance of quality, safety and walkability.

Food and drink

Bulgaria has excellent local produce and a strong café culture. A meal at a local restaurant costs EUR 5–10, while a coffee is EUR 1.50–2.50. International supermarkets (Kaufland, Lidl, Billa) are widely available and well stocked. Eating out regularly is affordable at the mid-range tier in a way that simply isn't possible in Western Europe.

Transport

Sofia has a functional metro, tram and bus network. A monthly pass costs around EUR 25–30. Bolt (rideshare) is widely used and cheap — a typical city journey costs EUR 3–6. Owning a car is optional for most nomads in Sofia, though useful for weekend trips to Vitosha or Bansko.

Healthcare

If you become a Bulgarian tax resident you can access the public healthcare system via mandatory health insurance contributions (8% of insurable income). Many expats also maintain a private international health insurance policy (SafetyWing, Cigna etc.) for the first year. Private clinics in Sofia are excellent quality and very affordable by Western standards — a GP visit typically costs EUR 20–40.

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