Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,768 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Plzen outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
Learn more

Plzen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,768

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,768 in Plzen versus $1,589 in Sofia.

Plzen $1,768
Sofia $1,589

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,468 in Plzen versus $2,456 in Sofia.

Plzen $2,468
Sofia $2,456

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,168 in Plzen versus $3,324 in Sofia.

Plzen $3,168
Sofia $3,324

Living in Plzen is roughly 11% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Plzen 32% above, Sofia 19% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.43 Kč 248

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-33.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 Kč 1,102

$66.9 BGN 117

-24.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 Kč 203

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-20.73%

Cappuccino

$3.01 Kč 65.3

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-11.99%

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

$2.01 Kč 43.75

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-16.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 Kč 38.28

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-5.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Kč 58.9

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-18.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Kč 59.4

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-39.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 Kč 24.80

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-40.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 Kč 34.41

$1.51 BGN 2.64

4.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 Kč 64.8

$2.21 BGN 3.88

34.84%

Eggs

$3.85 Kč 83.6

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 Kč 296

$11.56 BGN 20.22

17.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 Kč 218

$8.79 BGN 15.38

14.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 Kč 354

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-4.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 Kč 45.89

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-2.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 Kč 39.55

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Kč 46.23

$1.84 BGN 3.22

15.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 Kč 77.3

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-17.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.62

$1.03 BGN 1.80

18.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.42

$0.93 BGN 1.62

31.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Kč 34.37

$1.20 BGN 2.11

31.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 Kč 18.15

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-8.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 Kč 147

$4.30 BGN 7.53

57.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 Kč 151

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-5.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 Kč 30.81

$1.18 BGN 2.06

20.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 Kč 37.86

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-6.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 Kč 28.64

$0.87 BGN 1.52

51.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.88 Kč 606

$28.14 BGN 49.24

-0.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 Kč 46.08

$1.74 BGN 3.04

21.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 Kč 29.31

$0.96 BGN 1.68

40.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 Kč 299

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-11.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Kč 39.75

$1.79 BGN 3.14

2.23%

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

$29.9K Kč 650.9K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-0.11%

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

$29.6K Kč 643.5K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

12.29%

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

$278 Kč 6,044

$156 BGN 273

78.31%

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

$16.66 Kč 362

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-21.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.56 Kč 360

$15.64 BGN 27.37

5.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 Kč 1,320

$46.76 BGN 81.8

29.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.41 Kč 313

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-48.05%

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 Kč 251

$10.02 BGN 17.53

15.37%

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

$334 Kč 7,256

$766 BGN 1,341

-56.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K Kč 233.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-16.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 Kč 1,732

$89.7 BGN 157

-11.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.03 Kč 957

$40.88 BGN 71.5

7.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 Kč 1,890

$106 BGN 186

-18.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Kč 2,441

$105 BGN 183

7.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 Kč 15.6K

$796 BGN 1,393

-9.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 Kč 15.3K

$607 BGN 1,063

15.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 Kč 20.7K

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-39.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 Kč 20.3K

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-11.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,989 Kč 108.4K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

14.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,211 Kč 91.5K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

29.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 Kč 41.2K

$1,740 BGN 3,044

9.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

2.89

66.09%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$704 39.9%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 13.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$311 17.6%

Sofia

$193 12% 38.1% $119

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$289 16.4%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 0.6% $1.7

Eating Out

Plzen

$190 10.7%

Sofia

$256 16% 35% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$145 8.2%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 5.6% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$84 4.8%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 20.4% $17

Getting Around

Plzen

$42 2.4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 9.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $719 in Plzen and $796 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plzen pays 9% 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: $51.0 in Plzen vs $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $289 vs $287, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.38 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).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plzen Sofia 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
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

Plzen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. The 11% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Plzen, 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: $719 in Plzen versus $796 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Sofia – a meal for two runs $67.0 versus $51.0 in Plzen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,768 per month in Plzen versus $1,589 in Sofia – a 11% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,768 in Plzen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Plzen. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Safety-wise, Plzen 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 Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Plzen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.