Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,214 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
Learn more

Burgas Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,214 in Burgas, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Burgas $1,214

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,830 in Burgas, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Burgas $1,830

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,447 in Burgas, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Burgas $2,447

Sofia costs about 31% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Burgas is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$13.69 BGN 23.82

23.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$45.97 BGN 80.0

43.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.38 BGN 19.81

-0.53%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.40 BGN 5.92

0.88%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.00 BGN 1.74

141.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.75 BGN 1.31

146.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.02 BGN 3.51

83.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.91 BGN 5.05

57.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.67 BGN 2.91

20.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.02 BGN 1.78

52.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.02 BGN 3.51

15.35%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.30 BGN 5.74

32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.24 BGN 17.82

14.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$9.02 BGN 15.70

-2.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.41 BGN 19.86

53.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.38 BGN 4.13

-9.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.98 BGN 3.45

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.12 BGN 3.68

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.49 BGN 4.33

70.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-35.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.45 BGN 2.52

-41.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.98 BGN 1.70

17.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.91 BGN 1.58

-2.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.63 BGN 6.32

15.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.89 BGN 11.99

8.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.99 BGN 1.72

16.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.91 BGN 3.32

-3.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.85 BGN 1.48

2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$34.51 BGN 60.0

-17.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.68 BGN 2.92

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.72 BGN 1.26

30.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$11.76 BGN 20.46

30.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-1.74%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

-1.66%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$22.5K BGN 39.2K

16.05%

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

$156 BGN 272

$100 BGN 175

55.63%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$13.92 BGN 24.23

54.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$11.87 BGN 20.65

28.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$38.11 BGN 66.3

20.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$14.13 BGN 24.59

97.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.81 BGN 15.32

15.55%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$229 BGN 398

238.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$14.6K BGN 25.4K

-12.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$57.7 BGN 100

55.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$28.77 BGN 50.1

43.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$69.4 BGN 121

51.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$74.1 BGN 129

44.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$539 BGN 938

45.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$430 BGN 747

38.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$813 BGN 1,414

86.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$625 BGN 1,087

64.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,501 BGN 4,352

73.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,943 BGN 3,380

63.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$986 BGN 1,716

75.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.25

-11.08%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Burgas

$430 35.4% 28% $167

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Burgas

$248 20.5% 14.6% $42

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Burgas

$207 17.1% 18.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Burgas

$126 10.4% 34.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Burgas

$103 8.5% 33% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Burgas

$56 4.6% 16.1% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Burgas

$43 3.6% 12.6% $4.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $539 in Burgas. 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 76% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $46.00 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $248 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

07:23 7:23 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

189,741

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Burgas 340 km

From you

Sofia
Burgas

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 Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,214 in Burgas – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,820 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 21% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $229 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgas, where all-in costs run around $1,214, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Burgas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Burgas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,214 in Burgas to $1,594 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 Burgas. 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.