Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Neum and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $955 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Neum
Learn more

Neum Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$955

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $955 in Neum versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Neum $955
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Neum versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Neum $1,410
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,866 in Neum versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Neum $1,866
Sofia $3,361

Living in Neum costs roughly 40% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Neum is 29% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 BAM 9.23

$16.87 BGN 29.52

-68.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 BAM 54.1

$65.8 BGN 115

-52.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.67 BAM 9.90

$11.32 BGN 19.80

-49.91%

Cappuccino

$1.90 BAM 3.32

$3.43 BGN 6.01

-44.61%

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

$1.90 BAM 3.32

$2.41 BGN 4.22

-21.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 BAM 2.07

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-36.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 BAM 4.40

$3.70 BGN 6.48

-31.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 BAM 3.82

$4.58 BGN 8.02

-52.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$2.02 BGN 3.53

-44.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 BAM 1.65

$1.56 BGN 2.74

-39.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.07 BAM 3.61

$2.33 BGN 4.07

-11.16%

Eggs

$2.57 BAM 4.48

$4.36 BGN 7.63

-41.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 BAM 13.75

$11.76 BGN 20.59

-32.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 BAM 12.86

$8.83 BGN 15.46

-16.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.39 BAM 18.13

$17.46 BGN 30.56

-40.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 BAM 1.96

$2.15 BGN 3.76

-47.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BAM 2.83

$1.98 BGN 3.46

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 BAM 2.37

$1.93 BGN 3.39

-29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 BAM 2.09

$4.24 BGN 7.42

-71.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 BAM 1.71

$1.04 BGN 1.81

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 BAM 1.72

$0.85 BGN 1.49

16.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 BAM 1.32

$1.15 BGN 2.02

-33.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BAM 1.24

$0.89 BGN 1.57

-20.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.93 BAM 6.86

$4.21 BGN 7.37

-6.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.99 BAM 6.96

$7.46 BGN 13.05

-46.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BAM 1.36

$1.15 BGN 2.02

-32.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BAM 1.55

$1.85 BGN 3.25

-51.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.27 BAM 2.21

$0.87 BGN 1.52

45.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.4 BAM 100

$28.53 BGN 49.93

101.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BAM 3.04

$1.68 BGN 2.95

3.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BAM 1.04

$0.94 BGN 1.64

-36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 BAM 10.10

$15.35 BGN 26.86

-62.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 BAM 2.70

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-8.28%

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

$29.9K BAM 52.1K

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

0.21%

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

$21.3K BAM 37.2K

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

-18.41%

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

$135 BAM 236

$156 BGN 273

-13.24%

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

$17.64 BAM 30.79

$21.56 BGN 37.74

-18.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$25.86 BAM 45.14

$15.24 BGN 26.66

69.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.47 BAM 56.7

$46.08 BGN 80.6

-29.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.52 BAM 20.11

$27.92 BGN 48.86

-58.74%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 BAM 10.01

$10.18 BGN 17.82

-43.61%

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

$198 BAM 345

$774 BGN 1,355

-74.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,317 BAM 4,044

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-81.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 BAM 104

$89.9 BGN 157

-33.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.42 BAM 58.3

$41.29 BGN 72.3

-19.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.8 BAM 150

$105 BGN 184

-18.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.3 BAM 145

$107 BGN 187

-21.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$345 BAM 602

$783 BGN 1,370

-55.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 BAM 432

$597 BGN 1,044

-58.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 BAM 883

$1,516 BGN 2,653

-66.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$355 BAM 620

$1,030 BGN 1,803

-65.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,410 BAM 4,206

$4,350 BGN 7,612

-44.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,786 BAM 3,117

$3,177 BGN 5,560

-43.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$847 BAM 1,479

$1,735 BGN 3,037

-51.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.9

2.89

0.35%

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

Last update for Neum: 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

Neum

$248 25.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 141% $349

Groceries & Markets

Neum

$188 19.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 54.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Neum

$179 18.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 7.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Neum

$118 12.4%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 31% $37

Eating Out

Neum

$112 11.7%

Sofia

$255 16% 129% $143

Getting Around

Neum

$67 7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 42.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Neum

$44 4.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 51.2% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $345 in Neum and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 105% 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: $31.00 in Neum vs $66.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $188 vs $290 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇦 Neum

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

13:03 1:03 PM

14:03 2:03 PM

1 h ahead of Neum

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to BAM – Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark (KM)

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to BAM in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Neum Sofia 470 km

From you

Neum
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

Neum vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Neum and Sofia differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($955 vs $1,594 including rent). Neum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 105% 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: $345 in Neum versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Neum runs roughly 101% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $198 in Neum versus $774 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $955 in Neum versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Neum 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, Neum 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 Neum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.