Which place is cheaper, Dublin or Sofia?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Sofia or Dublin?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Sofia and Dublin. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Sofia or Dublin?
Sofia
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and also its largest city. Some people have tried to compare it to Budapest, but the cities are actually quite different. In Sofia you will find wonderful European style architecture intertwined with Communist style buildings. It's fascinating to see the two dramatically different building styles immediately next to each other. There are also many Orthodox Churches around town, with their beautiful domes and intricate details.
Dublin
Dublin is the vibrant and fun capital city of Ireland and home to over a third of the country's population. There are almost 2 million people in the metropolitan area. It's also the most common entry point into the country for visitors. Once you arrive, its a good idea to head over to the main tourist office in St. Andrew's Church off Grafton Street. They can give you maps and information to make sure your trip is efficient and fun. Many people enjoy seeing what remains of the Georgian architecture throughout the city. Much of the city is also modernist in style with many blocks made up of offices.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Bulgaria, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Bulgaria, The Best Walking Tours in Ireland, and The Best Luxury Tours to Ireland.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySofia $64Dublin $154
The average daily cost (per person) in Sofia is $64, while the average daily cost in Dublin is $154. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Sofia and Dublin in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSofia $40Dublin $73
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSofia $80Dublin $146
Compare Hotels in Sofia and Dublin
Looking for a hotel in Sofia or Dublin? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Sofia Hotel Prices and Dublin Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Sofia $8.38Dublin $21
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sofia
Also for Sofia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Airport Transfer from Sofia Airport: $49
- Airport Transfers in Bulgaria: $66
- Arrival Transfer: Sofia Airport SOF to Sofia in Luxury Van: $75
- Bansko Transfer from/to Sofia Airport: $175
- Be Eco: Sofia Airport Transfer with an Electric Vehicle: $54
- Borovets Transfers from/to Sofia Airport: $104
- Departure Transfer: Sofia to Sofia Airport SOF in Luxury Van: $75
- From Bansko Transfer with Rila Monastery Visit: $128
- From Koprivshtitsa & Historic Homes Tour w/ Transfer: $53
- From Plovdiv Day Tour with Transfer: $71
- From Private Transfer to Bucharest: $448
- From Private Transfer to Plovdiv: $96
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Dublin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for transportation costs in Dublin:
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Rental Car for a Day$16
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Dublin
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Dublin:
- One-Way Private Transfer to Killarney: $775
- One-Way Private Transfer to Galway: $668
- One-Way Private Transfer to Cork City: $636
- Shannon: Private Airport Arrival Transfer to Dublin: $615
- One-Way Private Transfer to Shannon Airport: $615
- One-Way Private Transfer to Limerick: $583
- Dublin Airport:, Executive/chauffeur transfer to Belfast: $562
- Dublin Glasnevin National Cemetery Audio Tour with Transfers: $339
- Dublin Zoo Skip-the-line Tickets and Private Transfers: $305
- Collon House & Garden To Dublin Airport Or City Private Chauffeur Transfer : $298
- Dublin Airport To Collon House & Garden Private Chauffeur Transfer: $298
- Private Transfer from Dublin Airport to Belfast City Airport (BHD): $292
Is it cheaper to fly into Sofia or Dublin?
Prices for flights to both Dublin and Sofia change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one daySofia $18Dublin $53
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sofia
For Sofia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- Market Food Tour: $47
- Guided Night Tour & Folklore Performance with Dinner: $48
- Half-Day Sofia Evening Walking Tour with Vegetarian Dinner: $49
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Tour with Dinner and Folklore Show: $97
- Sofia by Night: Panoramic City Tour and Folklore Dinner: $106
- Private Sofia Night Tour with Bulgarian Folklore & Dinner: $108
- Sofia by Night: Private Tour with Dinner: $118
- Evening City Tour with Folklore Dinner: $118
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Private Tour with Dinner, Folklore Show: $131
Typical Food Prices in Dublin
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for food and meal costs in Dublin:
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Lunch Lynam's Pub$4.23
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Dublin
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Dublin.
- Walking Street Food Tour with Local Guide: $29
- Dublin 3-Course Dinner and Live Shows at The Irish House Party: $31
- No Diet Club - Best Food Tour in Dublin !: $59
- Dublin Irish Night Show, Dance and Traditional 3-Course Dinner: $60
- Grand Canal Cruise with Dinner: $72
- Delicious Walking Food Tour: $80
- Delicious Dublin Food Tour: $82
- Private Cooking Class in a Modern Home with Sea Views in Skerries, Dublin: $84
- Howth Coastal Craft Beer and Seafood Tour: $95
- Private Market Tour and Irish Cooking Class in a Modern Skerries Home: $102
- Irish Craic & Cuisine: Cooking Class & Dinner in Central Dublin: $106
- Dublin Walking Food Tour With Secret Food Tours: $115
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Sofia $5.92Dublin $27
Tours and Activities in Sofia
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Sofia.
- Audio Guided Museum Paleontology and Historical Geology Ticket: $3.82
- Rila Monastery: Monastery & Museums Self-Guided Audio Tour 7 lang: $5.46
- Self-Guided Audio Tour on Your Phone (ENG): $7.61
- Sofia Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self-Guided Tour: $7.65
- Sofia Scavenger Hunt and Sights Self Guided Tour: $7.84
- Self-guided Tour in the Museum of Socialist Art: $7.87
- Guided Walking Tour of Sofia: $11
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $11
- Audio Guide for All Sofia Sights, Attractions or Experiences: $12
- Self-Guided Audio Tour: $14
- Sofia Audio guide Tour offers available in 7 languages: $14
- Admission Ticket to the Museum of Illusions in Sofia: $15
Typical Entertainment Prices in Dublin
Here are a few typical costs in Dublin for activities, ticket prices, and tours that come from previous visitors:
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Wild Wicklow Tour$28
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Guinness Brewery for Two$29
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St Pauls Cathedral$4.82
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Dublin Writer's Museum$6.75
Tours and Activities in Dublin
Here are a few actual costs in Dublin for available activities, ticket prices, and tours:
- A Self Guided Walking Tour of Dublin's Docklands: $12
- (Small Group) Cliffs of Moher and Castle Tour from Dublin: $141
- (Small Group) Shore Tour from Dublin:Dublin Highlights and Glendalough Day Trip: $119
- 1-Hour Cocktail Masterclass Experience in Dublin: $49
- 2-Day Northern Ireland Tour from Dublin Including Belfast and Giants Causeway: $217
- 2-Hour Historical Walking Tour from Dublin : $21
- 2-Hours Indoor Challenge Adventure Experience in Ireland: $31
- 2-Hours and 30 Minutes Historical Walking Tour in Dublin: $28
- 3 Hour Tour Freemasons and Templars Secret Societies: $20
- 3-Hour Drinks on Foot Dublin Walking Guided Tour: $30
- 4-Day Grand Atlantic Rail Tour from Dublin: $1,173
- 5-Day Tour of West Ireland: Blarney Stone & Cliffs of Moher: $1,451
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySofia $8.39Dublin $18
Sample the Local Flavors in Sofia
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Sofia:
- Sofia Pub Crawl - Party Tour of Sofia's Best Bars & Clubs: $16
- Sofia's Hidden Bars: 4-Hour Pub Crawl: $19
- Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars: $20
- Wine Tasting in Heart of Sofia: $33
- Sofia Bar Crawl: $54
- Special Selection Bulgarian Wine Tasting: $59
- Sofia Exquisite Wine Tasting: $75
- From Rozhen monastery and Melnik with wine tasting: $98
- Private Sofia Tour with Wine Tasting: $107
- Private Sofia City Tour with Wine Tasting: $109
- Hisarya, Starosel, and Wine Tasting Tour from Sofia: $115
- Koprivshtitsa and Starosel Day Trip with Wine Tasting: $139
Sample the Local Flavors in Dublin
Also in Dublin, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Authentic Brewery Tour: $11
- Generation Pub Crawl: $15
- Dublin Epic Pub Crawl: Experience Dublin's pubs and nightlife: $15
- "Dublin Delight Pub Expedition" Pub Crawl: $16
- The Dublin Liberties Distillery: Tour with Whiskey Tasting: $18
- Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour & Tasting: $21
- Skip the Line: Teeling Whiskey Distillery Tour and Tasting in Dublin Ticket: $22
- Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery Experience: $24
- City Pub Crawl Experience: $24
- Pearse Lyons Whiskey Distillery: Trilogy Experience: $24
- Roe and Co Distillery Cocktail Workshop Experience: $27
- Dublin Jameson Distillery Tour with Whiskey Tastings & Cocktail: $33
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Sofia and Dublin, we can see that Dublin is more expensive. And not only is Sofia much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Sofia would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Sofia and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Dublin would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Dublin than you might in Sofia.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Sofia Expensive? and Is Dublin Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Sofia or Dublin?
Sofia has a larger population, and is about 13% larger than the population of Dublin. When comparing the sizes of Sofia and Dublin, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.