Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brno and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,880 in Brno, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Brno outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

90

Cost of Living Index in Brno
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Brno Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Brno

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,880

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,880 in Brno versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Brno $1,880
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,627 in Brno versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Brno $2,627
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,373 in Brno versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Brno $3,373
Sofia $3,324

Living in Brno is roughly 18% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brno 40% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.32 Kč 203

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-45.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.93 Kč 998

$66.9 BGN 117

-31.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.15 Kč 199

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-22.26%

Cappuccino

$3.61 Kč 78.4

$3.42 BGN 5.99

5.56%

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

$1.73 Kč 37.51

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-28.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 Kč 28.08

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-30.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.69 Kč 58.6

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-19.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 Kč 61.2

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-37.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Kč 24.48

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-41.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 Kč 30.23

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-7.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 Kč 50.8

$2.21 BGN 3.88

5.88%

Eggs

$3.60 Kč 78.2

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.81 Kč 278

$11.56 BGN 20.22

10.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.14 Kč 199

$8.79 BGN 15.38

3.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.61 Kč 361

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 Kč 39.10

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 Kč 38.33

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-13.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Kč 46.34

$1.84 BGN 3.22

15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 Kč 70.6

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-24.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 Kč 22.91

$1.03 BGN 1.80

1.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 Kč 22.94

$0.93 BGN 1.62

13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 Kč 33.88

$1.20 BGN 2.11

30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Kč 15.55

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.47 Kč 162

$4.30 BGN 7.53

73.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.96 Kč 151

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-5.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 Kč 19.45

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 Kč 35.36

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 Kč 25.59

$0.87 BGN 1.52

35.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.78 Kč 539

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-11.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 Kč 61.5

$1.74 BGN 3.04

62.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 Kč 41.05

$0.96 BGN 1.68

96.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 Kč 363

$15.54 BGN 27.19

7.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 Kč 40.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

5.59%

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

$31.7K Kč 688.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

5.71%

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

$29.7K Kč 645.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

12.57%

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

$296 Kč 6,442

$156 BGN 273

90.07%

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

$22.10 Kč 480

$21.21 BGN 37.11

4.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.27 Kč 419

$15.64 BGN 27.37

23.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.7 Kč 1,167

$46.76 BGN 81.8

14.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.92 Kč 281

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-53.42%

Cinema Ticket

$12.78 Kč 278

$10.02 BGN 17.53

27.54%

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

$727 Kč 15.8K

$766 BGN 1,341

-5.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.8K Kč 255.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-8.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 Kč 1,824

$89.7 BGN 157

-6.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.32 Kč 811

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-8.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 Kč 2,188

$106 BGN 186

-5.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 Kč 2,649

$105 BGN 183

16.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$954 Kč 20.7K

$796 BGN 1,393

19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$809 Kč 17.6K

$607 BGN 1,063

33.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,518 Kč 33.0K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-2.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 Kč 25.9K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

12.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,265 Kč 136.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

43.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,258 Kč 114.3K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

61.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,862 Kč 40.5K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

7.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.65

2.89

60.90%

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

Last update for Brno: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brno

$809 43.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 24.9% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brno

$338 18.1%

Sofia

$193 12% 42.9% $145

Groceries & Markets

Brno

$269 14.4%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 6.8% $18

Eating Out

Brno

$176 9.5%

Sofia

$256 16% 45.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Brno

$155 8.3%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 0.7% $1.1

Sport & Entertainment

Brno

$79 4.2%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 15.7% $12

Getting Around

Brno

$42 2.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 8.6% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $954 in Brno and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brno pays 7% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $46.00 in Brno vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $269 vs $287 per month, with Brno cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Brno

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

09:06 9:06 AM

1 h ahead of Brno

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

380,127

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.38 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brno Sofia 890 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Brno
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

Brno vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in clothing, leisure, and transport. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Brno, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $954 in Brno versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $46.00 in Brno. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,880 per month in Brno versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,880 in Brno, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Brno. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Brno, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Brno and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Brno. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.