Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ceske Budejovice

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,704 in Ceske Budejovice, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Ceske Budejovice outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Ceske Budejovice
Learn more

Ceske Budejovice Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Ceske Budejovice

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ceske Budejovice

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,704 in Ceske Budejovice, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Ceske Budejovice $1,704

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,526 in Ceske Budejovice, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Ceske Budejovice $2,526

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $3,349 in Ceske Budejovice, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Ceske Budejovice $3,349

Sofia is about 7% cheaper than Ceske Budejovice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Ceske Budejovice sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Ceske Budejovice by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$9.33 Kč 203

83.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$40.90 Kč 889

63.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$15.54 Kč 338

-24.26%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$3.26 Kč 70.9

4.91%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.14 Kč 46.45

13.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$3.82 Kč 83.1

-51.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.72 Kč 59.1

22.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.69 Kč 58.5

68.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.35 Kč 29.42

42.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.96 Kč 42.68

-22.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.73 Kč 59.4

-19.05%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.39 Kč 73.8

29.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$14.33 Kč 311

-19.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$10.46 Kč 227

-15.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$11.40 Kč 248

48.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.47 Kč 32.03

47.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.66 Kč 36.08

22.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.17 Kč 47.15

-15.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.28 Kč 71.4

30.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.62 Kč 35.28

-36.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.21 Kč 26.27

-23.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.60 Kč 34.74

-25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.75 Kč 16.32

22.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.62 Kč 166

-43.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.15 Kč 155

2.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.19 Kč 25.85

-0.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.48 Kč 53.9

-24.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.40 Kč 30.33

-37.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$18.90 Kč 411

48.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$4.32 Kč 94.0

-59.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.73 Kč 15.89

31.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$18.58 Kč 404

-16.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.88 Kč 40.95

-4.79%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$31.2K Kč 678.3K

-3.94%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$29.1K Kč 633.4K

-9.54%

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

$156 BGN 273

$347 Kč 7,531

-54.99%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$31.46 Kč 684

-32.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$19.01 Kč 413

-17.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$54.6 Kč 1,187

-14.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$16.12 Kč 350

72.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.91 Kč 194

12.46%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$526 Kč 11.4K

45.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$10.5K Kč 227.4K

22.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$52.2 Kč 1,133

71.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$40.42 Kč 878

1.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$98.3 Kč 2,137

7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$137 Kč 2,970

-23.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$736 Kč 16.0K

8.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$578 Kč 12.6K

5.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,649 Kč 35.8K

-5.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,185 Kč 25.8K

-10.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$5,071 Kč 110.2K

-14.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$3,141 Kč 68.3K

3.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,588 Kč 34.5K

9.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.8

-50.17%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ceske Budejovice: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Ceske Budejovice

$578 33.8% 4.9% $30

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Ceske Budejovice

$278 16.3% 3.4% $9.8

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Ceske Budejovice

$203 11.9% 20.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Ceske Budejovice

$397 23.3% 106% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Ceske Budejovice

$147 8.6% 4% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ceske Budejovice

$72 4.2% 8.5% $5.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ceske Budejovice

$32 1.9% 14.9% $5.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $736 in Ceske Budejovice. 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 10% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $41.00 in Ceske Budejovice. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $278 – making Ceske Budejovice the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇿 Ceske Budejovice

🕒 Local time

13:57 1:57 PM

12:57 12:57 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

94,100

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, 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 = 0.51 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.35 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Ceske Budejovice 980 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ceske Budejovice

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 Ceske Budejovice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,704 in Ceske Budejovice – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $2,555 in Ceske Budejovice. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $1,704 in Ceske Budejovice. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 49% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Ceske Budejovice at $1,704. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Ceske Budejovice it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $1,704 in Ceske Budejovice. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ceske Budejovice makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.