Which place is cheaper, Nice or Sofia?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.
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Should you visit Sofia or Nice?
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 Nice. 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 Nice?
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.
Nice
Nice, in the French Riviera, is one of the most popular destinations in France. It's located on the southeast coast along the Mediterranean Sea and is the second largest French city on the Mediterranean. It is an energetic city that attracts all types of vacationers from every age group and demographic. It's the 5th largest city in the country and is the capital of the Alpes Maritimes departement. The metropolitan area has a population of about 1 million.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Bulgaria, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Bulgaria, The Best 10-Day Tours in France, and The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in France.
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Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySofia $64Nice $141
The average daily cost (per person) in Sofia is $64, while the average daily cost in Nice is $141. 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 Nice in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSofia $40Nice $63
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSofia $80Nice $126
Compare Hotels in Sofia and Nice
Looking for a hotel in Sofia or Nice? 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 Nice Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Sofia $8.38Nice $27
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sofia
Also for Sofia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer from Sofia airport to hotel in Sofia OR vice versa: $19
- Private Airport Transfer to Sofia City Center: $31
- Private Transfer: Sofia to Sofia Airport (SOF): $47
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Sofia HTL-APT (SOF): $48
- Airport Transfer from Sofia Airport: $49
- From Koprivshtitsa & Historic Homes Tour w/ Transfer: $53
- Be Eco: Sofia Airport Transfer with an Electric Vehicle: $54
- Sofia Airport SOF Private Transfer to Sofia City in Business Car: $54
- Private Transfer from Sofia Airport SOF to Sofia in Business Car: $54
- Private Airport Transfer from/to Sofia Bulgaria: $55
- Private Departure Transfer from Sunny Beach to Burgas Airport: $66
- Transfer from the Sofia Airport to your hotel in Sofia by VIP Mercedes V class: $66
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Nice
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Nice:
- Private Transfer from Nice to Milan: $1,390
- Private Transfer from Nice to Milan: $1,171
- Private Transfer from Nice to Marseille: $856
- Airport transfer to Marseille: $749
- Airport transfer to Genoa: $749
- Airport transfer to Aix en Provence: $695
- Nice Intl Airport (NCE): Private Transfer to Cannes hotels: $517
- Nice Intl Airport (NCE): Private Transfer to Monaco hotels: $443
- Airport transfer to St Tropez: $406
- Nice Airport Transfer to SAINT-TROPEZ: $396
- Airport transfer to Port Grimaud: $374
- Airport transfer to San Remo: $321
Is it cheaper to fly into Sofia or Nice?
Prices for flights to both Nice 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 $18Nice $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 Nice
Some typical examples of dining costs in Nice are as follows:
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Slushee$2.68
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Strawberries$4.29
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Loaf of Bread$3.43
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Nice
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Nice.
- Nice Small-Group Walking Food Tour with Local Specialties & Wine Tasting: $84
- Viator Exclusive: Organic French Dinner in the Garden of Nice: $95
- The Flavors of Nice Food Tour: $103
- Old Nice Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $104
- Nice Evening Food Tour - Do Eat Better Experience: $104
- Viator Exclusive: Local Cooking Class & Dinner with View of Nice: $107
- 3.5-Hour Original Old Town Food Tour: $107
- Private French Cooking Class with a Fun Local Noel: $112
- PRIVATE Award-Winning Nice Food Tour: 6 or 10 Tastings: $112
- Food Tour + Wine Pairing Lunch with a local Sommelier: $133
- Half Day Afternoon Walking Food Tour with Dinner: $147
- Dinner in the vineyard French Riviera: $192
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Sofia $5.92Nice $13
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
Tours and Activities in Nice
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Nice are as follows:
- Half Day Shared Tour in Eze, Monaco and Monte Carlo: $65
- Majestic Christmas tour in French Riviera: $235
- Monaco, Monte-Carlo and Eze Village Small Group Half-Day Tour: $59
- 3 Hour Walking Tour with a Local Licensed Guide in Monaco: $60
- 3-Hour Guided Walking Tour of Nice with a Licensed Guide: $33
- 3-Hour Segway Tour to Nice & Villefranche-sur-Mer: $80
- 7h sightseeing excursion: Visit Saint Paul, Antibes, Cannes.: $104
- A Guided Walking Tour through the Charming Streets of Nice: $32
- A walk of wealth – guided tour in Monaco: $251
- All-Inclusive Food & History Tour in Old Nice with Local Guide: $142
- Amazing Private Walking Tour of Old Nice between Italy and France: $111
- Antibes Electric Bike Tour: $75
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySofia $8.39Nice $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 Nice
Also in Nice, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Nice Bar Crawl | Best Bars In 1 Night! VIP + FREE SHOTS: $5.99
- Pub Crawl Party with VIP Entry and Free Shots: $16
- Pub Crawl Nice with Drinking Games and Optional Drink special: $17
- Nice : Guided Pub / Bar Crawl with Shots and Nightclub Entry: $21
- Riviera Bar Crawl Party with Free Shots and VIP Entry: $23
- Nice Walking Tour with Wine Tasting: $45
- New Year's Eve Pub Crawl with Shots and VIP Club Entry: $52
- New Year’s Eve Bar Crawl Nice France: $53
- Provence Organic Wine Tasting Half Day Tour from Nice: $65
- Wine Tasting: Tour de France in Nice City Centre: $74
- Half-Day Saint Paul de Vence and Wine Tasting Tour: $82
- Half-Day Wine Tasting and Saint Paul de Vence Tour from Nice: $84
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Sofia and Nice, we can see that Nice 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 Nice would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Nice 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 Nice Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Sofia or Nice?
Sofia has a larger population, and is about 3 times larger than the population of Nice. When comparing the sizes of Sofia and Nice, 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.