Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bardejov

For one person, living is cheaper in Bardejov: $1,388 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Bardejov
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Bardejov Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Bardejov

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bardejov

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Bardejov actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,388 in Bardejov.

Sofia $1,594
Bardejov $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,989 in Bardejov.

Sofia $2,478
Bardejov $1,989

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,589 in Bardejov.

Sofia $3,361
Bardejov $2,589

Living in Sofia is roughly 15% more expensive than in Bardejov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Bardejov 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$7.26 €6.46

132.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$24.81 €22.07

165.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.11 €8.10

24.26%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.99 €1.77

72.36%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.31 €1.17

83.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.70 €0.62

164.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.77 €1.57

109.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.25 €2.00

103.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.05 €0.93

92.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.33 €1.18

17.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.65 €1.47

41.21%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.49 €3.10

24.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$12.71 €11.30

-7.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.53 €5.81

35.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$12.81 €11.39

36.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.16 €1.03

85.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.72 €1.53

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.42 €2.15

-20.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.39 €2.12

77.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.01 €0.90

2.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.07 €0.95

-20.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.62 €1.44

-29.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.82 €0.73

8.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.84 €5.19

-27.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.52 €4.91

35.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.00 €0.89

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.33 €1.18

39.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.65 €0.58

33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$27.62 €24.56

3.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.63 €1.45

3.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.22 €1.08

-22.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$22.31 €19.85

-31.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.71 €1.52

-1.17%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$25.8K €23.0K

15.36%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.7K €22.0K

5.77%

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

$156 BGN 272

$327 €291

-52.33%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.58 €14.75

30.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.26 €18.02

-24.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$42.08 €37.43

9.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.09 €15.20

63.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.20 €8.18

10.65%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$408 €363

89.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.6K €9,450

20.52%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$69.6 €61.9

29.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.66 €27.27

34.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$81.6 €72.6

28.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$92.9 €82.7

14.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$572 €509

36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$440 €391

35.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,000 €890

51.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$789 €702

30.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,879 €1,671

131.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,475 €1,312

115.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$866 €770

100.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.79

-23.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bardejov: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Bardejov

$440 31.7% 26.3% $157

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Bardejov

$231 16.7% 20.3% $59

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Bardejov

$131 9.4% 48.7% $124

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Bardejov

$364 26.2% 88.9% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Bardejov

$124 8.9% 19.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Bardejov

$60 4.4% 9% $6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bardejov

$38 2.7% 1.2% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $572 in Bardejov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 100% 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: $66.0 in Sofia vs $25.00 in Bardejov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $231 per month, with Bardejov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇰 Bardejov

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

01:03 1:03 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

33,405

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Bardejov 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bardejov

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

Sofia vs Bardejov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Bardejov differ by about 15% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,388 including rent). Bardejov is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 100% higher in Sofia, 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: $783 in Sofia versus $572 in Bardejov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $408 in Bardejov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,388 in Bardejov versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bardejov but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bardejov the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Bardejov 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 Bardejov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.