Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pogradec and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Pogradec: $816 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Pogradec
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Pogradec Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Pogradec

🇦🇱 Albania

$816

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $816 in Pogradec versus $1,600 in Sofia.

Pogradec $816
Sofia $1,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,350 in Pogradec versus $2,490 in Sofia.

Pogradec $1,350
Sofia $2,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,884 in Pogradec versus $3,380 in Sofia.

Pogradec $1,884
Sofia $3,380

Living in Pogradec costs roughly 49% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pogradec is 40% below, Sofia is 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.82 ALL 791

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-42.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.52 ALL 3,183

$68.3 BGN 119

-42.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 ALL 610

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-34.85%

Cappuccino

$1.52 ALL 123

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-55.69%

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

$1.78 ALL 143

$2.34 BGN 4.08

-23.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 ALL 52.0

$1.83 BGN 3.19

-64.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.52 ALL 122

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-55.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 ALL 221

$4.44 BGN 7.73

-38.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ALL 160

$1.97 BGN 3.42

0.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ALL 78.1

$1.49 BGN 2.59

-34.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 ALL 166

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-11.59%

Eggs

$2.20 ALL 177

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-50.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 ALL 644

$11.54 BGN 20.08

-30.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 ALL 355

$8.88 BGN 15.44

-50.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 ALL 1,125

$17.51 BGN 30.46

-20.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.22 ALL 98.5

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-43.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 ALL 181

$2.07 BGN 3.60

8.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 ALL 123

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 ALL 102

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-70.35%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 ALL 75.8

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 ALL 83.2

$0.88 BGN 1.54

17.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ALL 83.6

$1.19 BGN 2.07

-12.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 ALL 62.8

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-12.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.25 ALL 343

$4.23 BGN 7.35

0.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 ALL 643

$7.87 BGN 13.69

1.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 ALL 98.0

$1.18 BGN 2.06

3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ALL 151

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ALL 40.63

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-46.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$28.30 BGN 49.24

-33.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ALL 300

$1.68 BGN 2.93

122.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 ALL 147

$0.96 BGN 1.68

89.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.74 ALL 1,509

$15.36 BGN 26.73

22.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.25 ALL 181

$1.77 BGN 3.09

27.12%

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

$34.0K ALL 2.7M

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

11.57%

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

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

-2.23%

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

$61.0 ALL 4,913

$157 BGN 273

-61.16%

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

$16.58 ALL 1,335

$21.12 BGN 36.74

-21.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.22 ALL 1,387

$15.32 BGN 26.65

12.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.88 ALL 2,889

$46.39 BGN 80.7

-22.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 ALL 1,504

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-33.50%

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 ALL 679

$10.04 BGN 17.46

-16.04%

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

$98.2 ALL 7,910

$775 BGN 1,348

-87.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 ALL 4,002

$88.1 BGN 153

-43.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 ALL 4,523

$41.39 BGN 72.0

35.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 ALL 7,916

$107 BGN 186

-7.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 ALL 12.1K

$106 BGN 185

41.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$185 ALL 14.9K

$770 BGN 1,340

-75.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 ALL 9,902

$602 BGN 1,048

-79.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$370 ALL 29.8K

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-76.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ALL 20.0K

$1,036 BGN 1,803

-76.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,597 ALL 128.6K

$4,567 BGN 7,946

-65.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,467 ALL 118.2K

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-53.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$476 ALL 38.4K

$1,742 BGN 3,031

-72.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

73.01%

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

Last update for Pogradec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pogradec

$211 25.8%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 38.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Pogradec

$159 19.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 3.3% $5.3

Eating Out

Pogradec

$142 17.4%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 78.8% $112

Accommodation & Living

Pogradec

$123 15.1%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 390% $479

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pogradec

$95 11.6%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 104% $99

Sport & Entertainment

Pogradec

$53 6.5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 26% $14

Getting Around

Pogradec

$34 4.1%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 14.9% $5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $185 in Pogradec and $770 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 266% 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: $40.00 in Pogradec vs $68.0 in Sofia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $211 vs $291 per month, with Pogradec cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇱 Pogradec

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

23:06 11:06 PM

00:06 12:06 AM

1 h ahead of Pogradec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,848

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Albanian Lek ALL L

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ALL – Albanian Lek Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇱 Albanian Lek (L)

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ALL in detail →

On the map

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Pogradec Sofia 300 km

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Pogradec
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

Pogradec vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pogradec wins on cost – living expenses run 96% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Pogradec the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 266% 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: $185 in Pogradec versus $770 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Pogradec – a meal for two runs $40.00 versus $68.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $816 in Pogradec versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Pogradec but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Pogradec the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Pogradec delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $816 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Pogradec hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Pogradec 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 Pogradec gentler on the wallet – expenses run 96% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.