Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kecskemet and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Kecskemet: $1,171 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Kecskemet
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Kecskemet Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Kecskemet

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,171

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,171 per month in Kecskemet vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Kecskemet $1,171
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,730 per month in Kecskemet vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Kecskemet $1,730
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,289 per month in Kecskemet vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Kecskemet $2,289
Sofia $3,361

Kecskemet is about 27% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Kecskemet sits 13% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 Ft 2,959

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-45.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.07 Ft 9,715

$65.8 BGN 115

-54.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 Ft 2,524

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-31.01%

Cappuccino

$1.57 Ft 507

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-54.23%

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

$1.56 Ft 505

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 Ft 389

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 Ft 718

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 Ft 733

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-50.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 396

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 Ft 414

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-17.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.41 Ft 777

$2.33 BGN 4.05

3.43%

Eggs

$3.69 Ft 1,192

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-15.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 Ft 3,354

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-11.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 Ft 2,166

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-24.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.61 Ft 4,398

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-22.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-14.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 Ft 539

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-15.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 Ft 588

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-5.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.14 Ft 1,015

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-25.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 318

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 Ft 340

$0.85 BGN 1.48

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 Ft 391

$1.15 BGN 2.00

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 Ft 166

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-42.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 Ft 2,220

$4.21 BGN 7.33

63.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.73 Ft 1,207

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 Ft 394

$1.15 BGN 2.01

6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 Ft 636

$1.85 BGN 3.23

6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 Ft 361

$0.87 BGN 1.51

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.54 Ft 5,991

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-35.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 Ft 398

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-26.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 Ft 528

$0.94 BGN 1.63

73.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.17 Ft 5,870

$15.35 BGN 26.70

18.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 Ft 584

$1.69 BGN 2.94

7.10%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

0.11%

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

$32.5K Ft 10.5M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

24.38%

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

$130 Ft 42.1K

$156 BGN 272

-16.54%

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

$32.28 Ft 10.4K

$21.56 BGN 37.52

49.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.37 Ft 6,257

$15.24 BGN 26.51

27.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.0 Ft 19.7K

$46.08 BGN 80.2

32.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.61 Ft 8,921

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-1.11%

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 Ft 2,512

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-23.58%

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

$246 Ft 79.4K

$774 BGN 1,347

-68.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,687 Ft 2.2M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-47.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 Ft 37.0K

$89.9 BGN 157

27.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.05 Ft 4,863

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-63.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.46 Ft 15.0K

$105 BGN 183

-55.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.6 Ft 24.4K

$107 BGN 186

-29.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 Ft 165.6K

$783 BGN 1,362

-34.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$394 Ft 127.4K

$597 BGN 1,038

-33.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 Ft 224.7K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-54.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$592 Ft 191.1K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-42.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,321 Ft 749.9K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-46.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,964 Ft 634.4K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-38.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,099 Ft 355.1K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-36.65%

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 Kecskemet: 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

Kecskemet

$394 33.7%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 51.3% $202

Groceries & Markets

Kecskemet

$231 19.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 25.9% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kecskemet

$182 15.5%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 6% $11

Eating Out

Kecskemet

$142 12.1%

Sofia

$255 16% 79.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Kecskemet

$113 9.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 36.4% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Kecskemet

$77 6.5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 13.2% $10

Getting Around

Kecskemet

$32 2.8%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 18.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $513 in Kecskemet versus $783 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Kecskemet versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $290 – making Kecskemet the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Kecskemet

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h ahead of Kecskemet

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

109,450

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kecskemet Sofia 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kecskemet
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

Kecskemet vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 36%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,757 per month in Kecskemet and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kecskemet, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,171 in Kecskemet and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 36%.

Public transport costs about 54% less in Kecskemet. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kecskemet, where all-in costs run around $1,171, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Kecskemet it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kecskemet – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kecskemet. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.