Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bjelovar

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Bjelovar: $1,594 and $1,568 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Bjelovar
Learn more

Bjelovar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Bjelovar

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bjelovar

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 Bjelovar actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,568 in Bjelovar.

Sofia $1,594
Bjelovar $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,407 in Bjelovar.

Sofia $2,478
Bjelovar $2,407

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,246 in Bjelovar.

Sofia $3,361
Bjelovar $3,246

Living in Sofia is roughly 2% more expensive than in Bjelovar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Bjelovar 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.19 €11.73

27.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$73.6 €65.5

-10.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.05 €8.94

12.64%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.30 €2.04

49.13%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.98 €2.65

-19.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.92 €1.70

-3.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.96 €3.52

-6.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.43 €3.94

3.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.20 €1.07

68.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.59 €1.42

-1.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.46 €3.08

-32.66%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.64 €3.24

19.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$15.81 €14.07

-25.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.99 €8.88

-11.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.49 €12.89

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.64 €1.46

31.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.67 €1.48

18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.90 €1.69

1.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.59 €2.31

63.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.37 €1.22

-24.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.32 €1.17

-35.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.35 €1.20

-14.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.31 €1.17

-32.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.78 €5.14

-27.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.88 €7.01

-5.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.61 €1.43

-28.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.11 €1.88

-12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.56 €1.39

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$40.23 €35.79

-29.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.28 €2.92

-48.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.47 €1.31

-36.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$13.39 €11.91

14.64%

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

$26.3K €23.4K

13.38%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.5K €21.8K

6.52%

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

$156 BGN 272

$190 €169

-17.96%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$24.31 €21.62

-11.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$38.95 €34.65

-60.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$50.8 €45.18

-9.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$16.18 €14.39

72.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.60 €5.87

54.24%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$537 €478

44.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$13.0K €11.6K

-1.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$99.2 €88.3

-9.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$41.10 €36.55

0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$103 €92.0

1.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$111 €98.6

-3.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$691 €614

13.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$531 €472

12.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,171 €1,041

29.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$886 €788

16.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,947 €3,511

10.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,064 €2,726

3.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.73

-22.52%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bjelovar: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Bjelovar

$531 33.8% 11.1% $66

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Bjelovar

$292 18.6% 0.5% $1.4

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Bjelovar

$212 13.5% 17% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Bjelovar

$254 16.2% 31.4% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Bjelovar

$160 10.2% 3.4% $5.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Bjelovar

$64 4.1% 3.7% $2.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bjelovar

$57 3.6% 48.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $691 in Bjelovar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $74.0 in Bjelovar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $292 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇷 Bjelovar

🕒 Local time

22:22 10:22 PM

21:22 9:22 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

36,316

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Bjelovar 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bjelovar

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 Bjelovar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Bjelovar differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,568 including rent). Bjelovar is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,352 in Bjelovar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $691 in Bjelovar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bjelovar – a meal for two runs $74.0 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,568 in Bjelovar – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,568 in Bjelovar versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bjelovar but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bjelovar 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 Bjelovar 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 Bjelovar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 2% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.