Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bytom

For one person, living is cheaper in Bytom: $1,466 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
72

Cost of Living Index in Bytom
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Bytom Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Bytom

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,466

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bytom

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,466 in Bytom.

Sofia $1,594
Bytom $1,466

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,099 in Bytom.

Sofia $2,478
Bytom $2,099

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,731 in Bytom.

Sofia $3,361
Bytom $2,731

Living in Sofia is roughly 9% more expensive than in Bytom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Bytom 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$10.31 zł 40.07

63.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$35.40 zł 138

85.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.68 zł 33.73

30.41%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.52 zł 13.69

-2.56%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.12 zł 8.23

13.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.86 zł 7.22

-0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.64 zł 14.15

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.59 zł 17.85

-0.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.09 zł 4.23

85.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.24 zł 4.81

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.49 zł 5.79

56.38%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.25 zł 12.61

34.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.58 zł 37.22

22.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.30 zł 20.60

66.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.93 zł 46.36

46.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.06 zł 4.12

102.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.62 zł 6.28

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.49 zł 5.81

29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.50 zł 9.70

69.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.91 zł 3.55

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.78 zł 3.04

8.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.24 zł 4.82

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.66 zł 2.58

34.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.64 zł 21.92

-25.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.26 zł 24.32

19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.03 zł 4.02

11.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.70 zł 6.60

8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.25 zł 4.85

-30.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$33.83 zł 131

-15.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.81 zł 7.04

-7.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.68 zł 2.66

38.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.01 zł 38.88

53.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.64 zł 6.36

3.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$31.1K zł 120.8K

-4.16%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.8K zł 107.9K

-5.94%

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

$156 BGN 272

$321 zł 1,249

-51.44%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$7.87 zł 30.58

173.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$17.68 zł 68.7

-13.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$38.44 zł 149

19.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.62 zł 80.1

35.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.16 zł 27.82

42.18%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$488 zł 1,898

58.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.9K zł 46.3K

7.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$69.9 zł 272

28.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.85 zł 120

33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.0 zł 346

18.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$92.5 zł 359

15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$530 zł 2,060

47.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$496 zł 1,926

20.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,005 zł 3,903

50.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$834 zł 3,241

23.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,853 zł 11.1K

52.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,239 zł 8,699

41.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.19

-59.81%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bytom: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Bytom

$496 33.8% 16.9% $101

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Bytom

$205 14% 29.4% $85

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Bytom

$194 13.3% 23.8% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Bytom

$347 23.7% 79.9% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Bytom

$127 8.7% 17.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Bytom

$53 3.6% 20.6% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bytom

$44 3% 14.8% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $530 in Bytom. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $35.00 in Bytom for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $205 per month, with Bytom cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Bytom

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

162,250

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Bytom 920 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bytom

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 Bytom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bytom wins on cost – living expenses run 9% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bytom the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,199 in Bytom 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 $530 in Bytom. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,466 in Bytom – a 9% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Bytom runs roughly 19% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,466 in Bytom versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bytom but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bytom the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bytom delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,466 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bytom hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Bytom 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 Bytom gentler on the wallet – expenses run 9% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.