Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostrava and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostrava: $1,464 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Ostrava
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,464
/mo nomad
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,589
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,464 per month in Ostrava vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ostrava $1,464
  • Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,215 per month in Ostrava vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ostrava $2,215
  • Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $2,965 per month in Ostrava vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

  • Ostrava $2,965
  • Sofia $3,324

Ostrava is about 8% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Ostrava and Sofia sit above the global median – Ostrava by 9%, Sofia by 19%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.41 Kč 226
$17.10 BGN 29.93
-39.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.26 Kč 1,049
$66.9 BGN 117
-27.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.37 Kč 182
$11.77 BGN 20.59
-28.89%
Cappuccino
$3.21 Kč 69.8
$3.42 BGN 5.99
-6.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.86 Kč 40.49
$2.42 BGN 4.23
-23.14%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.54 Kč 33.41
$1.86 BGN 3.26
-17.20%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.34 Kč 50.8
$3.33 BGN 5.83
-29.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.26 Kč 49.17
$4.53 BGN 7.92
-50.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.09 Kč 23.68
$1.92 BGN 3.36
-43.23%
White Bread (500g)
$1.59 Kč 34.64
$1.51 BGN 2.64
5.30%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.52 Kč 54.9
$2.21 BGN 3.88
14.03%
Eggs
$3.46 Kč 75.2
$4.40 BGN 7.69
-21.36%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.88 Kč 258
$11.56 BGN 20.22
2.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$10.65 Kč 231
$8.79 BGN 15.38
21.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.85 Kč 279
$16.97 BGN 29.71
-24.28%
Apples (1kg)
$1.70 Kč 36.89
$2.17 BGN 3.79
-21.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.81 Kč 39.41
$2.04 BGN 3.57
-11.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.24 Kč 48.73
$1.84 BGN 3.22
21.74%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.66 Kč 79.5
$4.29 BGN 7.51
-14.69%
Potato (1kg)
$1.05 Kč 22.76
$1.03 BGN 1.80
1.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 Kč 23.46
$0.93 BGN 1.62
16.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.54 Kč 33.42
$1.20 BGN 2.11
28.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 Kč 16.77
$0.92 BGN 1.62
-16.30%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.65 Kč 166
$4.30 BGN 7.53
77.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.00 Kč 152
$7.33 BGN 12.83
-4.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 Kč 20.47
$1.18 BGN 2.06
-20.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 Kč 44.13
$1.87 BGN 3.28
8.56%
🚌 Getting Around
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.37 Kč 29.72
$0.87 BGN 1.52
57.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.98 Kč 543
$28.14 BGN 49.24
-11.23%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.35 Kč 51.0
$1.74 BGN 3.04
35.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.62 Kč 35.24
$0.96 BGN 1.68
68.75%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$22.78 Kč 495
$15.54 BGN 27.19
46.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.83 Kč 39.67
$1.79 BGN 3.14
2.23%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.6K Kč 686.6K
$30.0K BGN 52.5K
5.38%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K Kč 642.5K
$26.4K BGN 46.1K
12.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$221 Kč 4,804
$156 BGN 273
41.75%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$23.18 Kč 504
$21.21 BGN 37.11
9.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.12 Kč 372
$15.64 BGN 27.37
9.46%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$55.4 Kč 1,204
$46.76 BGN 81.8
18.50%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.30 Kč 419
$27.74 BGN 48.54
-30.43%
Cinema Ticket
$9.27 Kč 202
$10.02 BGN 17.53
-7.49%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$420 Kč 9,129
$766 BGN 1,341
-45.19%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$9,554 Kč 207.6K
$12.8K BGN 22.4K
-25.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$75.2 Kč 1,634
$89.7 BGN 157
-16.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$42.28 Kč 919
$40.88 BGN 71.5
3.42%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$100.0 Kč 2,172
$106 BGN 186
-5.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$112 Kč 2,428
$105 BGN 183
6.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$689 Kč 15.0K
$796 BGN 1,393
-13.50%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$531 Kč 11.5K
$607 BGN 1,063
-12.52%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,262 Kč 27.4K
$1,563 BGN 2,735
-19.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$939 Kč 20.4K
$1,060 BGN 1,855
-11.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,212 Kč 69.8K
$4,357 BGN 7,626
-26.29%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,330 Kč 50.6K
$3,250 BGN 5,688
-28.31%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Ostrava
Sofia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,755 Kč 38.1K
$1,740 BGN 3,044
0.89%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.06
2.89
75.09%

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

Last update for Ostrava: 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
Ostrava
$531
Sofia
$607 14.3% $76
Groceries & Markets
Ostrava
$268
Sofia
$287 7.1% $19
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Ostrava
$261
Sofia
$193 26.2% $69
Eating Out
Ostrava
$177
Sofia
$256 44.9% $79
Clothing & Footwear
Ostrava
$148
Sofia
$154 3.7% $5.5
Sport & Entertainment
Ostrava
$74
Sofia
$67 9.7% $7.2
Getting Around
Ostrava
$41
Sofia
$38 6.7% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $689 in Ostrava 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 1% higher in Ostrava, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Ostrava versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $287 – making Ostrava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇨🇿 Ostrava
🇧🇬 Sofia
🕒 Local time
05:06 5:06 AM
06:06 6:06 AM
1 h ahead of Ostrava
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
304,880
1,286,383 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.37 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Ostrava Sofia 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Ostrava
  • 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
Ostrava vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Ostrava or Sofia?
Sofia costs about 9% more than Ostrava, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Ostrava and in Sofia?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,196 per month in Ostrava and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Ostrava or Sofia?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Ostrava, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Ostrava or in Sofia?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
How do dining costs compare in Ostrava and in Sofia?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $48.00 in Ostrava and $67.0 in Sofia. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Ostrava or in Sofia?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ostrava, where all-in costs run around $1,464, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Ostrava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Ostrava or Sofia?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ostrava costs $1,464 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Ostrava compared to Sofia?
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.
Should I move to Ostrava or to Sofia?
If budget matters most, go with Ostrava. 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.

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