Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Bucharest: $1,351 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bucharest

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,351 in Bucharest.

Sofia $1,589
Bucharest $1,351

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $2,033 in Bucharest.

Sofia $2,456
Bucharest $2,033

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $2,715 in Bucharest.

Sofia $3,324
Bucharest $2,715

Living in Sofia is roughly 18% more expensive than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 19% above, Bucharest 1% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$14.46 RON 68.4

18.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$57.7 RON 273

16.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$7.50 RON 35.46

56.93%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$3.43 RON 16.20

-0.29%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.46 RON 11.63

-1.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$2.33 RON 11.01

-20.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$3.80 RON 17.97

-12.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$4.10 RON 19.41

10.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.65 RON 7.79

16.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.35 RON 6.39

11.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.78 RON 8.42

24.16%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.66 RON 17.33

20.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$8.57 RON 40.54

34.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.80 RON 32.17

29.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$11.72 RON 55.4

44.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.29 RON 6.11

68.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.56 RON 7.37

30.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.54 RON 7.28

19.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.48 RON 11.75

72.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.83 RON 3.92

24.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.80 RON 3.77

16.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.84 RON 3.98

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.93 RON 4.39

-1.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$6.44 RON 30.45

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$6.32 RON 29.91

15.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.26 RON 5.94

-6.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.60 RON 7.59

16.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.81 RON 3.85

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$21.13 RON 99.9

33.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.60 RON 2.86

190.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.61 RON 2.91

57.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$6.17 RON 29.19

151.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.96 RON 9.27

-8.67%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$28.1K RON 133.1K

6.51%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$26.3K RON 124.3K

0.30%

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

$156 BGN 273

$197 RON 931

-20.77%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$8.34 RON 39.44

154.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$9.19 RON 43.47

70.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$49.87 RON 236

-6.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$24.99 RON 118

11.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.46 RON 40.01

18.44%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$639 RON 3,023

19.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$14.4K RON 68.1K

-11.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$90.6 RON 429

-1.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$38.05 RON 180

7.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$79.7 RON 377

33.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$93.2 RON 441

12.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$673 RON 3,184

18.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$449 RON 2,123

35.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,098 RON 5,195

42.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$729 RON 3,448

45.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,740 RON 17.7K

16.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,189 RON 10.4K

48.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,323 RON 6,259

31.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.74

-57.12%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Bucharest

$449 33.5% 26.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Bucharest

$222 16.5% 22.8% $66

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Bucharest

$226 16.8% 11.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Bucharest

$214 16% 11.2% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Bucharest

$136 10.1% 11.6% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Bucharest

$67 5% 0% $0

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 26.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $673 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 31% 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: $67.0 in Sofia vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $222 per month, with Bucharest cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sofia vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Bucharest differ by about 18% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $1,351 including rent). Bucharest is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 31% 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: $796 in Sofia versus $673 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Sofia versus $1,351 in Bucharest – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bucharest runs roughly 33% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,351 in Bucharest versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bucharest but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bucharest 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 Bucharest 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 Bucharest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.