Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haskovo and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Haskovo: $860 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Haskovo
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Haskovo Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Haskovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$860

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $860 in Haskovo versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Haskovo $860
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Haskovo versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Haskovo $1,405
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,949 in Haskovo versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Haskovo $1,949
Sofia $3,361

Living in Haskovo costs roughly 46% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haskovo is 36% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 BGN 17.00

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-42.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.26 BGN 78.8

$65.8 BGN 115

-31.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 BGN 17.18

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-12.81%

Cappuccino

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-43.44%

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

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-51.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 BGN 1.71

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-47.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 BGN 2.27

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-64.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 BGN 7.53

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-5.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 BGN 2.77

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-21.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.67 BGN 1.17

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-57.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.81

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-30.47%

Eggs

$3.16 BGN 5.50

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-27.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-0.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.57 BGN 13.16

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-14.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.49 BGN 14.78

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-51.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.35

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-2.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-24.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.79 BGN 3.11

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-57.78%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 BGN 1.46

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.85 BGN 1.48

7.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-26.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.36

$4.21 BGN 7.33

0.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 BGN 13.34

$7.46 BGN 12.98

2.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-26.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-12.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 BGN 1.21

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.90 BGN 39.85

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-19.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-30.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 BGN 1.14

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-29.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.42 BGN 23.35

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-12.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 BGN 2.67

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-8.88%

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

$30.1K BGN 52.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

1.04%

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

$23.2K BGN 40.4K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

-11.23%

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

$94.2 BGN 164

$156 BGN 272

-39.63%

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

$12.98 BGN 22.58

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-39.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.53 BGN 16.59

$15.24 BGN 26.51

-37.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.8 BGN 95.3

$46.08 BGN 80.2

18.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$27.92 BGN 48.58

0.68%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 BGN 13.74

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-22.40%

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

$774 BGN 1,346

$774 BGN 1,347

-0.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,327 BGN 4,048

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-81.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.30 BGN 78.8

$89.9 BGN 157

-49.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.25 BGN 70.0

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-2.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 BGN 136

$105 BGN 183

-25.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 BGN 147

$107 BGN 186

-21.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 BGN 399

$783 BGN 1,362

-70.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 BGN 285

$597 BGN 1,038

-72.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 BGN 657

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-75.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 BGN 526

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-70.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,221 BGN 2,124

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-71.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$953 BGN 1,659

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-69.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,075 BGN 1,870

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-38.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Haskovo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Haskovo

$212 24.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 36.7% $78

Accommodation & Living

Haskovo

$164 19%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 264% $433

Eating Out

Haskovo

$155 18%

Sofia

$255 16% 64.4% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haskovo

$117 13.6%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 65.2% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Haskovo

$112 13%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 38.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Haskovo

$71 8.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 5.9% $4.1

Getting Around

Haskovo

$30 3.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 27.4% $8.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Haskovo and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 61% 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: $45.00 in Haskovo vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $213 vs $290 per month, with Haskovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Haskovo

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

Same time as Haskovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,587

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Haskovo Sofia 200 km

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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

Haskovo vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haskovo wins on cost – living expenses run 85% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Haskovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 61% 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: $229 in Haskovo versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 37% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Haskovo – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $860 in Haskovo versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Haskovo but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Haskovo the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Haskovo delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $860 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Haskovo hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Haskovo 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 Haskovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 85% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.