Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pecs and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pecs: $1,338 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Pecs
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Pecs Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Pecs

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,338

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Pecs versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Pecs $1,338
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,058 in Pecs versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Pecs $2,058
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,777 in Pecs versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Pecs $2,777
Sofia $3,324

Living in Pecs costs roughly 16% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Pecs 0% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.29 Ft 3,676

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-33.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.3 Ft 19.6K

$66.9 BGN 117

-9.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.21 Ft 3,000

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-21.75%

Cappuccino

$2.45 Ft 798

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-28.36%

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

$1.34 Ft 436

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-44.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 Ft 404

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.71 Ft 556

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-48.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 Ft 725

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-50.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 Ft 400

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-35.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 510

$1.51 BGN 2.64

3.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.46 Ft 802

$2.21 BGN 3.88

11.31%

Eggs

$3.28 Ft 1,069

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-25.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 Ft 3,302

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-12.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 Ft 2,158

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-24.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.95 Ft 5,193

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-6.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 Ft 774

$2.17 BGN 3.79

9.68%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 Ft 744

$2.04 BGN 3.57

11.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 Ft 825

$1.84 BGN 3.22

37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 Ft 1,282

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-8.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 Ft 365

$1.03 BGN 1.80

8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 Ft 439

$0.93 BGN 1.62

45.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 Ft 608

$1.20 BGN 2.11

55.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 Ft 190

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-36.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.76 Ft 2,854

$4.30 BGN 7.53

103.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.63 Ft 1,508

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-36.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 Ft 445

$1.18 BGN 2.06

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 Ft 851

$1.87 BGN 3.28

39.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 Ft 491

$0.87 BGN 1.52

73.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.59 Ft 7,681

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-16.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 Ft 1,076

$1.74 BGN 3.04

89.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 Ft 475

$0.96 BGN 1.68

52.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.60 Ft 8,012

$15.54 BGN 27.19

58.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 Ft 583

$1.79 BGN 3.14

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

$30.0K Ft 9.8M

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-0.10%

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

$36.9K Ft 12.0M

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

40.08%

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

$168 Ft 54.9K

$156 BGN 273

8.01%

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

$20.30 Ft 6,612

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-4.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.23 Ft 6,914

$15.64 BGN 27.37

35.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.06 Ft 15.0K

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-1.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 Ft 6,082

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-32.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 Ft 2,870

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-12.08%

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

$420 Ft 136.6K

$766 BGN 1,341

-45.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,762 Ft 2.5M

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-39.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 Ft 32.8K

$89.7 BGN 157

12.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.6 Ft 16.8K

$40.88 BGN 71.5

26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 Ft 31.9K

$106 BGN 186

-7.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 Ft 35.4K

$105 BGN 183

3.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 Ft 201.7K

$796 BGN 1,393

-22.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 Ft 144.5K

$607 BGN 1,063

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$987 Ft 321.4K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$676 Ft 220.1K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-36.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,296 Ft 1.1M

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-24.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 Ft 913.3K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-13.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,056 Ft 343.8K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-39.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

176.82%

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

Last update for Pecs: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pecs

$444 32.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 36.9% $164

Groceries & Markets

Pecs

$260 19.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 10.7% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pecs

$210 15.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 8.2% $17

Eating Out

Pecs

$171 12.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 50% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Pecs

$162 12%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 5% $8

Sport & Entertainment

Pecs

$64 4.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 4.9% $3.1

Getting Around

Pecs

$40 3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 5.1% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $619 in Pecs and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 65% 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: $60.0 in Pecs vs $67.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $260 vs $287 per month, with Pecs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Pecs

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:52 3:52 AM

04:52 4:52 AM

1 h ahead of Pecs

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,330

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 326 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pecs Sofia 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Pecs
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

Pecs vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pecs is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 19% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 65% 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: $619 in Pecs versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Pecs runs roughly 19% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $420 in Pecs versus $766 in Sofia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,338 in Pecs versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Pecs but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Pecs the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Pecs is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pecs 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 Pecs gentler on the wallet – expenses run 19% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.