Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gyongyos and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Gyongyos: $1,009 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Gyongyos
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,009
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,009 in Gyongyos versus $1,594 in Sofia.

  • Gyongyos $1,009
  • Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,637 in Gyongyos versus $2,478 in Sofia.

  • Gyongyos $1,637
  • Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,265 in Gyongyos versus $3,361 in Sofia.

  • Gyongyos $2,265
  • Sofia $3,361

Living in Gyongyos costs roughly 37% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Gyongyos is 25% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.98 Ft 2,902
$16.87 BGN 29.35
-46.77%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.69 Ft 15.1K
$65.8 BGN 115
-29.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.32 Ft 3,012
$11.32 BGN 19.69
-17.67%
Cappuccino
$2.18 Ft 704
$3.43 BGN 5.98
-36.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.50 Ft 484
$2.41 BGN 4.19
-37.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.10 Ft 356
$1.85 BGN 3.22
-40.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 Ft 730
$3.70 BGN 6.44
-38.92%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 Ft 704
$4.58 BGN 7.97
-52.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 Ft 369
$2.02 BGN 3.51
-43.56%
White Bread (500g)
$1.35 Ft 437
$1.56 BGN 2.72
-13.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.71 Ft 553
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-26.61%
Eggs
$2.34 Ft 756
$4.36 BGN 7.59
-46.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.71 Ft 3,462
$11.76 BGN 20.47
-8.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.42 Ft 2,075
$8.83 BGN 15.37
-27.29%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.40 Ft 4,008
$17.46 BGN 30.38
-28.98%
Apples (1kg)
$1.67 Ft 540
$2.15 BGN 3.74
-22.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 Ft 639
$1.98 BGN 3.44
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.99 Ft 643
$1.93 BGN 3.37
3.11%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 Ft 1,087
$4.24 BGN 7.37
-20.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 Ft 317
$1.04 BGN 1.80
-5.77%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 Ft 350
$0.85 BGN 1.48
27.06%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.42 Ft 457
$1.15 BGN 2.00
23.48%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 Ft 166
$0.89 BGN 1.56
-42.70%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.46 Ft 2,410
$4.21 BGN 7.33
77.20%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.22 Ft 1,688
$7.46 BGN 12.98
-30.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 Ft 363
$1.15 BGN 2.01
-2.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 Ft 467
$1.85 BGN 3.23
-21.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.75 Ft 242
$0.87 BGN 1.51
-13.79%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.19 Ft 5,876
$28.53 BGN 49.65
-36.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.08 Ft 997
$1.68 BGN 2.93
83.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.08 Ft 349
$0.94 BGN 1.63
14.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$18.58 Ft 6,003
$15.35 BGN 26.70
21.04%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.80 Ft 582
$1.69 BGN 2.94
6.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K Ft 8.4M
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
-12.53%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.6K Ft 7.0M
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
-17.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 Ft 42.0K
$156 BGN 272
-16.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.85 Ft 7,060
$21.56 BGN 37.52
1.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.48 Ft 5,970
$15.24 BGN 26.51
21.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.34 Ft 11.1K
$46.08 BGN 80.2
-25.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.94 Ft 2,888
$27.92 BGN 48.58
-67.98%
Cinema Ticket
$6.22 Ft 2,009
$10.18 BGN 17.72
-38.90%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$247 Ft 79.7K
$774 BGN 1,347
-68.15%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$6,713 Ft 2.2M
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
-47.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$88.5 Ft 28.6K
$89.9 BGN 157
-1.65%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.38 Ft 4,968
$41.29 BGN 71.8
-62.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$78.6 Ft 25.4K
$105 BGN 183
-25.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$77.9 Ft 25.2K
$107 BGN 186
-26.99%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$418 Ft 135.1K
$783 BGN 1,362
-46.56%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$270 Ft 87.2K
$597 BGN 1,038
-54.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$586 Ft 189.3K
$1,516 BGN 2,638
-61.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$585 Ft 189.1K
$1,030 BGN 1,792
-43.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,236 Ft 1.0M
$4,350 BGN 7,568
-25.61%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,934 Ft 947.9K
$3,177 BGN 5,528
-7.66%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Gyongyos
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$762 Ft 246.2K
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-56.09%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.67
2.89
130.80%

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

Last update for Gyongyos: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Gyongyos
$270
Sofia
$597 121% $327
Groceries & Markets
Gyongyos
$224
Sofia
$290 30% $67
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Gyongyos
$170
Sofia
$193 13.1% $22
Eating Out
Gyongyos
$152
Sofia
$255 67.6% $103
Clothing & Footwear
Gyongyos
$117
Sofia
$154 31.8% $37
Sport & Entertainment
Gyongyos
$47
Sofia
$66 42% $20
Getting Around
Gyongyos
$30
Sofia
$38 29.4% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $418 in Gyongyos and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 128% 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: $47.00 in Gyongyos vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $224 vs $290 per month, with Gyongyos cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Gyongyos
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
22:42 10:42 PM
23:42 11:42 PM
1 h ahead of Gyongyos
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
27,645
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Gyongyos Sofia 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Gyongyos
  • 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
Gyongyos vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sofia cheaper than Gyongyos?
Gyongyos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 58% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Gyongyos or Sofia?
On paper, salaries run 128% 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.
What is the rent difference between Gyongyos and Sofia?
Rent for a central apartment: $418 in Gyongyos versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Gyongyos and in Sofia?
Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Gyongyos or in Sofia?
Dining out is cheaper in Gyongyos – a meal for two runs $47.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Gyongyos or in Sofia?
At $1,009 in Gyongyos versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Gyongyos but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gyongyos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is Gyongyos or Sofia more family-friendly?
For families, Gyongyos is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.
Which city is safer, Gyongyos or Sofia?
Safety-wise, Gyongyos 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.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Gyongyos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 58% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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