Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Passau and Sofia

For one person, living costs are similar in Passau and in Sofia: $1,528 and $1,594 a month, rent and utilities included.

75

Cost of Living Index in Passau
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Passau Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Passau

🇩🇪 Germany

$1,528

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,528 in Passau versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Passau $1,528
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,563 in Passau versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Passau $2,563
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,598 in Passau versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Passau $3,598
Sofia $3,361

Living in Passau costs roughly 4% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Passau 13% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.77 €14.92

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-0.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 €54.4

$65.8 BGN 115

-7.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.91 €10.60

$11.32 BGN 19.69

5.21%

Cappuccino

$3.78 €3.36

$3.43 BGN 5.98

10.20%

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

$3.55 €3.16

$2.41 BGN 4.19

47.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.75

$1.85 BGN 3.22

67.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.32 €3.84

$3.70 BGN 6.44

16.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.37

$4.58 BGN 7.97

7.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-42.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.56 BGN 2.72

32.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$2.33 BGN 4.05

36.05%

Eggs

$3.71 €3.30

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-14.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.16 €12.60

$11.76 BGN 20.47

20.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$16.10 €14.32

$8.83 BGN 15.37

82.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.62 €18.34

$17.46 BGN 30.38

18.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$2.15 BGN 3.74

34.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.93 BGN 3.37

6.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 €4.17

$4.24 BGN 7.37

10.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$1.04 BGN 1.80

38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 €1.42

$0.85 BGN 1.48

87.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.15 BGN 2.00

52.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 €0.90

$0.89 BGN 1.56

13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.13 €8.12

$4.21 BGN 7.33

116.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-23.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-6.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.75 €2.45

$0.87 BGN 1.51

216.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €58.7

$28.53 BGN 49.65

131.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 €3.96

$1.68 BGN 2.93

165.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 €2.16

$0.94 BGN 1.63

158.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.49 €36.01

$15.35 BGN 26.70

163.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 €1.67

$1.69 BGN 2.94

11.24%

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

$33.0K €29.4K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

10.82%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

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

$262 €233

$156 BGN 272

68.00%

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

$16.19 €14.40

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-24.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.5 €47.63

$15.24 BGN 26.51

251.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$12.10 €10.77

$10.18 BGN 17.72

18.86%

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

$692 €616

$774 BGN 1,347

-10.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.7K €16.6K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

45.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €599

$783 BGN 1,362

-13.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$457 €407

$597 BGN 1,038

-23.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,662 €1,479

$1,516 BGN 2,638

9.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,330 €1,183

$1,030 BGN 1,792

29.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,438 €3,058

$1,735 BGN 3,019

98.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.98

2.89

37.72%

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

Last update for Passau: 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

Passau

$457 29.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 30.6% $140

Groceries & Markets

Passau

$348 22.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 16.5% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Passau

$332 21.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 41.9% $139

Eating Out

Passau

$273 17.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 6.8% $18

Getting Around

Passau

$94 6.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 59% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Passau

$24 * 1.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 175% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Passau

- * 0%

Sofia

$154 9.7%

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Passau and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Passau pays 98% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $61.0 in Passau vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $348 vs $290, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Passau

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h ahead of Passau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,401

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Passau Sofia 1,010 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Passau
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

Passau vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Passau and Sofia differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($1,528 vs $1,594 including rent). Passau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 98% higher in Passau, 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: $674 in Passau versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Passau – a meal for two runs $61.0 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,528 per month in Passau versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,528 in Passau versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Passau but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Passau 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, Passau 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 Passau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 4% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.