Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,194 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,194
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,842 per month in Plovdiv vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,842
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,489 per month in Plovdiv vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,489
Sofia $3,361

Plovdiv is about 25% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Plovdiv sits 12% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 BGN 16.15

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-44.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.41 BGN 77.3

$65.8 BGN 115

-32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 BGN 16.95

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-13.96%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 4.99

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-16.33%

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

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-28.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.63

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-18.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.42

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-31.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 BGN 7.38

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-7.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-24.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.78

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-6.87%

Eggs

$3.76 BGN 6.53

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-13.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 BGN 20.24

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-1.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 BGN 14.67

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-4.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 BGN 24.67

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-18.79%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-23.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 BGN 3.12

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.93 BGN 3.37

2.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BGN 4.44

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-39.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.04 BGN 1.80

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$0.85 BGN 1.48

23.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$1.15 BGN 2.00

5.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-19.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BGN 7.00

$4.21 BGN 7.33

-4.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 BGN 10.63

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-18.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$1.85 BGN 3.23

12.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.22 BGN 49.10

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-1.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 BGN 2.22

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-23.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-36.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 BGN 18.00

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-32.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.69 BGN 2.94

2.96%

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

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

1.78%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

-6.76%

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

$112 BGN 195

$156 BGN 272

-28.15%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-14.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.48 BGN 26.94

$15.24 BGN 26.51

1.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.07 BGN 71.5

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-10.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 BGN 35.26

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-27.40%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 BGN 15.73

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-11.20%

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

$522 BGN 907

$774 BGN 1,347

-32.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,424 BGN 9,438

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-57.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 BGN 120

$89.9 BGN 157

-23.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 BGN 72.3

$41.29 BGN 71.8

0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 BGN 166

$105 BGN 183

-9.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 182

$107 BGN 186

-1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$783 BGN 1,362

-31.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 BGN 677

$597 BGN 1,038

-34.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 BGN 1,516

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-42.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BGN 1,117

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-37.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,230 BGN 3,880

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-48.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 BGN 2,693

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-51.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,156 BGN 2,012

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-33.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.89

7.27%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$389 32.6%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 53.5% $208

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.2%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 14.7% $37

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$172 14.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 48.1% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 32% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 10.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 12.3% $7.3

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 10.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Plovdiv versus $783 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 50% 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 $44.00 in Plovdiv versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $290 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:40 8:40 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Plovdiv Sofia 130 km

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Plovdiv
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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

Plovdiv vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,194 in Plovdiv, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,791 per month in Plovdiv and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Plovdiv, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $522 per month in Plovdiv and $774 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Plovdiv, where all-in costs run around $1,194, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Plovdiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Plovdiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,194 in Plovdiv to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Plovdiv. 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.