Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Celje

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Celje: $1,600 and $1,574 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Celje
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Celje Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Celje

🇸🇮 Slovenia

$1,574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Celje

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,574 in Celje.

Sofia $1,600
Celje $1,574

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $2,290 in Celje.

Sofia $2,490
Celje $2,290

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $3,006 in Celje.

Sofia $3,380
Celje $3,006

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$13.57 €12.07

24.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$51.1 €45.41

33.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$8.94 €7.96

29.98%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.14 €1.90

60.28%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$2.22 €1.98

5.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.95 €1.73

-6.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.61 €2.32

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$3.30 €2.94

34.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.31 €1.16

50.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$2.04 €1.81

-26.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.28 €2.03

2.19%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$3.06 €2.72

44.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$15.03 €13.37

-23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$9.95 €8.85

-10.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$8.85 €7.87

97.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.97 €1.75

9.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.75 €1.55

18.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.33 €2.07

-17.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$3.21 €2.86

32.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.15 €1.02

-10.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.56 €1.39

-43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.64 €1.46

-27.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.75 €0.67

18.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$5.68 €5.05

-25.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$6.05 €5.38

30.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.39 €1.23

-15.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$2.08 €1.85

-9.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.37 €1.22

-32.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$28.26 €25.13

0.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.21 €1.96

-23.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.14 €1.01

-15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$19.28 €17.15

-20.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.67 €1.49

5.99%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$29.5K €26.3K

3.25%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$24.8K €22.1K

1.15%

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

$157 BGN 273

$240 €214

-34.67%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$8.75 €7.78

141.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$21.02 €18.70

-27.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$33.03 €29.38

40.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$11.08 €9.85

153.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$9.33 €8.30

7.61%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$650 €579

19.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$14.0K €12.4K

-10.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$115 €103

-23.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$43.87 €39.02

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$111 €98.3

-3.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$142 €126

-25.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$725 €645

6.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$561 €499

7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,139 €1,013

37.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$837 €745

23.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$3,313 €2,947

37.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$2,570 €2,286

23.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,513 €1,346

15.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.52

-17.90%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Celje: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Celje

$561 35.6% 6.9% $41

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Celje

$267 17% 8.1% $24

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Celje

$197 12.5% 22.4% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Celje

$270 17.2% 39.6% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Celje

$185 11.8% 20.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Celje

$52 3.3% 22.2% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Celje

$42 2.7% 8.1% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $725 in Celje. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 15% 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: $68.0 in Sofia vs $51.0 in Celje for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $267 per month, with Celje cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇮 Celje

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

20:25 8:25 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,872

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Celje 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Celje

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 Celje: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Celje differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($1,600 vs $1,574 including rent). Celje is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $770 in Sofia versus $725 in Celje. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,600 per month in Sofia versus $1,574 in Celje – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Celje runs roughly 0% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,574 in Celje versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Celje but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Celje 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 Celje 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 Celje 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.