Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $912 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$912

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $912 per month in Shumen vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

Shumen $912
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $1,424 per month in Shumen vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

Shumen $1,424
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $1,937 per month in Shumen vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

Shumen $1,937
Sofia $3,380

Shumen is about 43% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Shumen sits 33% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.25 BGN 16.10

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-45.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.99 BGN 60.9

$68.3 BGN 119

-48.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.23 BGN 16.06

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-20.57%

Cappuccino

$1.76 BGN 3.06

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-48.69%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.60

$2.34 BGN 4.08

-35.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 BGN 1.76

$1.83 BGN 3.19

-44.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 BGN 5.12

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-13.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 BGN 4.87

$4.44 BGN 7.73

-36.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-9.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.49 BGN 2.59

-30.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.49

$2.33 BGN 4.05

10.73%

Eggs

$2.88 BGN 5.01

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-34.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.27 BGN 16.12

$11.54 BGN 20.08

-19.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 BGN 8.71

$8.88 BGN 15.44

-43.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.45

$17.51 BGN 30.46

-49.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 BGN 2.79

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-25.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 BGN 3.48

$2.07 BGN 3.60

-3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.09 BGN 3.64

$1.93 BGN 3.37

8.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.83

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-48.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

$1.03 BGN 1.79

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$0.88 BGN 1.54

45.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$1.19 BGN 2.07

-31.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-13.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.83 BGN 6.66

$4.23 BGN 7.35

-9.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.05 BGN 12.26

$7.87 BGN 13.69

-10.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 BGN 2.56

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.93 BGN 1.62

1.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.88 BGN 45.04

$28.30 BGN 49.24

-8.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$1.68 BGN 2.93

1.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 BGN 0.93

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-44.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.59 BGN 2.77

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-10.17%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.6K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

-0.88%

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

$21.9K BGN 38.1K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

-12.59%

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

$135 BGN 235

$157 BGN 273

-14.16%

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

$17.95 BGN 31.24

$21.12 BGN 36.74

-15.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.94 BGN 29.47

$15.32 BGN 26.65

10.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.57 BGN 67.1

$46.39 BGN 80.7

-16.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.69 BGN 20.34

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-58.38%

Cinema Ticket

$7.07 BGN 12.31

$10.04 BGN 17.46

-29.58%

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

$576 BGN 1,002

$775 BGN 1,348

-25.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K BGN 18.2K

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

-16.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.28 BGN 85.8

$88.1 BGN 153

-44.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 BGN 88.4

$41.39 BGN 72.0

22.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.8 BGN 160

$107 BGN 186

-14.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.3 BGN 107

$106 BGN 185

-42.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$264 BGN 459

$770 BGN 1,340

-65.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$176 BGN 307

$602 BGN 1,048

-70.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 BGN 738

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-72.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$335 BGN 583

$1,036 BGN 1,803

-67.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,235 BGN 2,150

$4,567 BGN 7,946

-72.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,019 BGN 1,773

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-67.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,018 BGN 1,771

$1,742 BGN 3,031

-41.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

2.89

12.46%

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

Last update for Shumen: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shumen

$212 23.2%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 37.4% $79

Accommodation & Living

Shumen

$176 19.3%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 242% $426

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shumen

$170 18.6%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 14% $24

Eating Out

Shumen

$153 16.8%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 66.1% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Shumen

$114 12.5%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 35.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Shumen

$53 5.8%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 26.1% $14

Getting Around

Shumen

$34 3.7%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 13.3% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $264 in Shumen versus $770 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 71% 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 $35.00 in Shumen versus $68.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $212 vs $291 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Shumen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:36 9:36 PM

Same time as Shumen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

85,504

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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Between locations

Shumen Sofia 300 km

From you

Shumen
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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

Shumen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $912 in Shumen, $1,600 in Sofia – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,367 per month in Shumen and $2,400 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $912 in Shumen and $1,600 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 76%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Shumen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $912 in Shumen to $1,600 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 Shumen. 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.