Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Nis: $1,033 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
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Nis Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,033

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,033 per month in Nis vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Nis $1,033
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,512 per month in Nis vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Nis $1,512
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $1,991 per month in Nis vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Nis $1,991
Sofia $3,324

Nis is about 35% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Nis sits 23% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 917

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-48.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.92 RSD 3,541

$66.9 BGN 117

-49.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.57 RSD 999

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-18.69%

Cappuccino

$1.97 RSD 206

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-42.40%

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

$2.31 RSD 242

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 RSD 182

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.61 RSD 377

$3.33 BGN 5.83

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.49 RSD 469

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-0.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 RSD 120

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 73.2

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-53.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 RSD 184

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-20.36%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 246

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-46.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.65 RSD 799

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-33.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.72 RSD 597

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-34.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.59 RSD 1,105

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-37.60%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-48.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 RSD 175

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-17.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 RSD 157

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-18.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.17 RSD 226

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-49.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 RSD 81.8

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-24.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 74.7

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-22.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.64 RSD 66.6

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.6

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.42 RSD 461

$4.30 BGN 7.53

2.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 RSD 604

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-21.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RSD 75.3

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 RSD 135

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-31.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 RSD 192

$1.74 BGN 3.04

5.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RSD 68.8

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.29 RSD 866

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-46.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 198

$1.79 BGN 3.14

5.59%

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

$30.7K RSD 3.2M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

2.55%

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

$24.0K RSD 2.5M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-9.06%

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

$160 RSD 16.8K

$156 BGN 273

2.89%

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

$19.03 RSD 1,987

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-10.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.20 RSD 2,318

$15.64 BGN 27.37

41.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 RSD 3,188

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-34.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.65 RSD 1,634

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-43.58%

Cinema Ticket

$4.68 RSD 489

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-53.29%

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

$252 RSD 26.4K

$766 BGN 1,341

-67.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,989 RSD 520.9K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-60.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 RSD 9,234

$89.7 BGN 157

-1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.42 RSD 3,906

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-8.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 RSD 10.4K

$106 BGN 186

-6.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 RSD 11.7K

$105 BGN 183

6.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 RSD 41.5K

$796 BGN 1,393

-50.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$277 RSD 28.9K

$607 BGN 1,063

-54.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 RSD 61.7K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-62.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$397 RSD 41.5K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-62.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,531 RSD 264.2K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-41.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,884 RSD 196.7K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-42.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$901 RSD 94.0K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-48.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

2.89

77.16%

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

Last update for Nis: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$277 27.1%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 119% $330

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$202 19.7%

Sofia

$193 12% 4.4% $8.9

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$182 17.8%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 58.1% $106

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 54.3% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$152 14.8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$40 3.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 67.4% $27

Getting Around

Nis

$5.1 * 0.5%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 642% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $398 in Nis versus $796 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 93% 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 $34.00 in Nis versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $287 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.54 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.54 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 RSD in detail →

On the map

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Nis Sofia 130 km

From you

Nis
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

Nis vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 54% more than Nis, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,549 per month in Nis and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nis, 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 $1,033 in Nis and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 54%.

Kindergarten costs $252 per month in Nis and $766 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Nis, where all-in costs run around $1,033, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Nis it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nis costs $1,033 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Nis. 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.