Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gjilan and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $774 in Gjilan versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Gjilan $774
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,140 in Gjilan versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Gjilan $1,140
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,507 in Gjilan versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Gjilan $1,507
Sofia $3,324

Living in Gjilan costs roughly 51% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gjilan is 42% below, Sofia is 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.13 €3.69

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-75.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.81 €20.35

$66.9 BGN 117

-65.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 €5.15

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-50.98%

Cappuccino

$1.36 €1.21

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-60.23%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-54.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-52.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 €1.48

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-50.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-70.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-34.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-69.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-41.63%

Eggs

$1.86 €1.66

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-57.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 €6.97

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-32.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.95

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-24.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 €11.31

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-25.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-22.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-8.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-61.54%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.85

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-6.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-7.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 €0.75

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-30.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.44

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-46.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 €3.04

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-20.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-22.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-15.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-32.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.74 BGN 3.04

25.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 €0.52

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-38.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.95

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-78.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-20.11%

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

$22.2K €19.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-25.92%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-2.75%

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

$107 €95.2

$156 BGN 273

-31.64%

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

$11.27 €10.06

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-46.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.50 €20.97

$15.64 BGN 27.37

50.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.87 €17.73

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-57.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 €4.08

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-54.39%

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

$166 €148

$766 BGN 1,341

-78.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,466 €1,308

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-88.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.41 €37.85

$89.7 BGN 157

-52.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.57 €28.17

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-22.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 €56.4

$106 BGN 186

-40.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 €71.3

$105 BGN 183

-23.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 €248

$796 BGN 1,393

-65.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 €204

$607 BGN 1,063

-62.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 €428

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-69.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 €321

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-66.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$911 €813

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-79.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$700 €624

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-78.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 €394

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-74.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

2.89

55.71%

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

Last update for Gjilan: 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

Gjilan

$228 29.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 166% $379

Groceries & Markets

Gjilan

$190 24.3%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 51.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gjilan

$141 18.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 36.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Gjilan

$98 12.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 57.2% $56

Eating Out

Gjilan

$85 11%

Sofia

$256 16% 200% $171

Sport & Entertainment

Gjilan

$29 3.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 130% $38

Getting Around

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 412% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $278 in Gjilan and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 294% 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: $23.00 in Gjilan vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $190 vs $287 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

10:49 10:49 AM

11:49 11:49 AM

1 h ahead of Gjilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,239

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Gjilan Sofia 150 km

From you

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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

Gjilan vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gjilan and Sofia differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($774 vs $1,589 including rent). Gjilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 294% lower in Sofia. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $278 in Gjilan versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $774 per month in Gjilan versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.