Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Cacak

For one person, living is cheaper in Cacak: $1,051 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Cacak
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Cacak Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Cacak

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,051

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Cacak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,051 in Cacak.

Sofia $1,594
Cacak $1,051

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,571 in Cacak.

Sofia $2,478
Cacak $1,571

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,092 in Cacak.

Sofia $3,361
Cacak $2,092

Living in Sofia is roughly 52% more expensive than in Cacak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Cacak is 22% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$7.29 RSD 760

131.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$38.45 RSD 4,009

71.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.29 RSD 1,177

0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.54 RSD 161

122.73%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.41 RSD 251

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.44 RSD 150

28.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.52 RSD 263

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.53 RSD 264

81.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 RSD 128

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.73 RSD 76.2

113.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.71 RSD 283

-14.02%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.64 RSD 275

65.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$3.76 RSD 392

212.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.35 RSD 766

20.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.96 RSD 1,456

25.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.25 RSD 130

72.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.88 RSD 196

5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.67 RSD 174

15.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.48 RSD 258

70.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.00 RSD 104

4.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.68 RSD 71.1

25.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.01 RSD 105

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.60 RSD 62.0

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.66 RSD 486

-9.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.13 RSD 743

4.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.94 RSD 97.7

22.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.23 RSD 232

-17.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.93 RSD 96.9

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$16.54 RSD 1,724

72.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.95 RSD 203

-13.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.89 RSD 92.9

5.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.64 RSD 1,109

44.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.69 RSD 177

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.3K RSD 2.8M

9.27%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$25.7K RSD 2.7M

1.73%

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

$156 BGN 272

$142 RSD 14.8K

9.95%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$18.81 RSD 1,961

14.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.90 RSD 1,971

-19.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$29.86 RSD 3,112

54.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.59 RSD 791

34.12%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$374 RSD 39.0K

106.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,499 RSD 781.7K

70.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$119 RSD 12.4K

-24.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$43.32 RSD 4,516

-4.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$136 RSD 14.2K

-22.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$125 RSD 13.0K

-14.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$311 RSD 32.5K

151.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$259 RSD 27.0K

130.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$423 RSD 44.1K

258.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$371 RSD 38.7K

177.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,109 RSD 219.8K

106.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,573 RSD 164.0K

101.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$723 RSD 75.3K

140.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.21

-44.53%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Cacak: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Cacak

$259 24.6% 56.6% $338

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Cacak

$206 19.7% 29% $84

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Cacak

$144 13.7% 43.6% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Cacak

$180 17.1% 6.8% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Cacak

$190 18.1% 23.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Cacak

$45 4.3% 32.2% $21

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Cacak

$27 2.5% 30.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $311 in Cacak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 140% 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 $38.00 in Cacak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $206 per month, with Cacak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇸 Cacak

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

69,598

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, 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).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Cacak 270 km

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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 Cacak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cacak is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 140% 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 $311 in Cacak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $374 in Cacak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,051 in Cacak versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Cacak but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Cacak the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Cacak is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Cacak 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 Cacak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.