Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,212 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 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

$1,212

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/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 $1,212 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,212
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $1,850 per month in Plovdiv vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,850
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $2,489 per month in Plovdiv vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,489
Sofia $3,324

Plovdiv is about 24% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Plovdiv sits 10% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 BGN 15.96

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-46.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.93 BGN 78.6

$66.9 BGN 117

-32.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.39 BGN 16.43

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-20.22%

Cappuccino

$2.78 BGN 4.86

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-18.71%

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

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-26.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.76

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-15.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 BGN 4.43

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-24.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.14 BGN 7.25

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-8.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-23.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 BGN 3.93

$2.21 BGN 3.88

1.36%

Eggs

$3.64 BGN 6.37

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-17.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.42 BGN 19.98

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-1.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.46 BGN 14.81

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-3.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.11 BGN 24.70

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-23.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 BGN 3.18

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.33

$1.84 BGN 3.22

3.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.51

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-39.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$1.03 BGN 1.80

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$0.93 BGN 1.62

13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BGN 1.27

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-20.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 BGN 7.11

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-5.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 BGN 10.79

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-15.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 BGN 3.56

$1.87 BGN 3.28

8.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-36.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.99 BGN 50.7

$28.14 BGN 49.24

3.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.27

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-25.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-36.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.13 BGN 17.73

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-34.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-5.03%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-0.08%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.8K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-4.98%

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

$114 BGN 200

$156 BGN 273

-26.67%

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

$18.53 BGN 32.43

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-12.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.25 BGN 26.69

$15.64 BGN 27.37

-2.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.23 BGN 70.4

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-13.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.30 BGN 35.52

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-26.82%

Cinema Ticket

$9.01 BGN 15.76

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-10.08%

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

$515 BGN 901

$766 BGN 1,341

-32.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,450 BGN 9,537

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-57.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$89.7 BGN 157

-25.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 BGN 73.7

$40.88 BGN 71.5

2.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 BGN 168

$106 BGN 186

-9.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 181

$105 BGN 183

-1.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$530 BGN 928

$796 BGN 1,393

-33.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 679

$607 BGN 1,063

-36.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 BGN 1,536

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-43.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,173

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-36.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,226 BGN 3,896

$4,357 BGN 7,626

-48.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,572 BGN 2,751

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-51.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,161 BGN 2,032

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-33.24%

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 6, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 56.6% $219

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$252 21.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 14.1% $35

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$169 14.2%

Sofia

$256 16% 51.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$148 12.5%

Sofia

$193 12% 30.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 10.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$58 4.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 14.7% $8.6

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 7.4% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $530 in Plovdiv 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 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 $45.00 in Plovdiv versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $287 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:19 5:19 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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: $1,212 in Plovdiv, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,817 per month in Plovdiv 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 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 3% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $515 per month in Plovdiv and $766 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 $1,212, than in Sofia at $1,589. 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 $1,212 in Plovdiv to $1,589 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.