Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Krakow and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,811 in Krakow, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Krakow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Krakow
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Krakow Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Krakow

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,811

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,811 in Krakow versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Krakow $1,811
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,597 in Krakow versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Krakow $2,597
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,383 in Krakow versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Krakow $3,383
Sofia $3,324

Living in Krakow is roughly 14% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Krakow 35% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.89 zł 46.38

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-30.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 zł 196

$66.9 BGN 117

-24.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.96 zł 38.86

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-15.38%

Cappuccino

$4.12 zł 16.06

$3.42 BGN 5.99

20.47%

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

$2.57 zł 10.04

$2.42 BGN 4.23

6.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 zł 9.51

$1.86 BGN 3.26

31.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 zł 17.85

$3.33 BGN 5.83

37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.56 zł 17.81

$4.53 BGN 7.92

0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 zł 4.12

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-44.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 zł 5.73

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-2.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-23.53%

Eggs

$3.95 zł 15.40

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-10.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.31 zł 36.31

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-19.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 zł 30.24

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-11.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 zł 51.5

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.22

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-38.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 zł 6.85

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-4.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 zł 11.93

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-28.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.61

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-10.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 zł 3.82

$0.93 BGN 1.62

5.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.80

$1.20 BGN 2.11

2.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 zł 3.13

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-13.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.22 zł 24.29

$4.30 BGN 7.53

44.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 zł 24.57

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-14.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 zł 4.62

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 zł 6.89

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-5.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.50 zł 5.85

$0.87 BGN 1.52

72.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.54 zł 131

$28.14 BGN 49.24

19.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 zł 8.89

$1.74 BGN 3.04

31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.88

$0.96 BGN 1.68

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 zł 47.70

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-21.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 zł 6.61

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-5.59%

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

$30.4K zł 118.8K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

1.55%

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

$28.9K zł 112.7K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

9.57%

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

$333 zł 1,299

$156 BGN 273

113.47%

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

$8.71 zł 33.98

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-58.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.32 zł 67.6

$15.64 BGN 27.37

10.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.70 zł 178

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-2.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.11 zł 98.0

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-9.48%

Cinema Ticket

$8.69 zł 33.90

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-13.27%

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

$463 zł 1,805

$766 BGN 1,341

-39.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,594 zł 37.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-24.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.1 zł 387

$89.7 BGN 157

10.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.31 zł 157

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.3 zł 352

$106 BGN 186

-14.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 zł 464

$105 BGN 183

13.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 zł 3,692

$796 BGN 1,393

18.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 zł 2,800

$607 BGN 1,063

18.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,440 zł 5,620

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-7.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 zł 4,432

$1,060 BGN 1,855

7.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,602 zł 21.9K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

28.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,540 zł 13.8K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

8.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,855 zł 7,238

$1,740 BGN 3,044

6.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

2.89

129.07%

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

Last update for Krakow: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Krakow

$717 39.8%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 15.3% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Krakow

$359 19.9%

Sofia

$193 12% 46.3% $166

Groceries & Markets

Krakow

$235 13%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 22.5% $53

Eating Out

Krakow

$226 12.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 13.1% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Krakow

$157 8.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 2.1% $3.2

Sport & Entertainment

Krakow

$63 3.5%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 5.9% $3.7

Getting Around

Krakow

$47 2.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 18.4% $8.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $946 in Krakow and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Krakow 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: $50.0 in Krakow vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $287 per month, with Krakow cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Krakow

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

09:27 9:27 AM

10:27 10:27 AM

1 h ahead of Krakow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

806,201

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Krakow Sofia 860 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Krakow
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

Krakow vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 14% lower than in Krakow. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 7% higher in Krakow, 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: $946 in Krakow versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Krakow pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $50.0 in Krakow. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,811 in Krakow, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Krakow. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,589 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Krakow 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 14% less than in Krakow. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.