Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Csongrad

For one person, living is cheaper in Csongrad: $1,303 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 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
64

Cost of Living Index in Csongrad
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Csongrad Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Csongrad

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,303

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Csongrad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,303 in Csongrad.

Sofia $1,594
Csongrad $1,303

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,062 in Csongrad.

Sofia $2,478
Csongrad $2,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,821 in Csongrad.

Sofia $3,361
Csongrad $2,821

Living in Sofia is roughly 22% more expensive than in Csongrad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Csongrad is 4% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.56 Ft 3,735

45.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$60.4 Ft 19.5K

9.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.26 Ft 2,991

22.25%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.46 Ft 796

39.43%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.35 Ft 436

78.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.27 Ft 411

45.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.65 Ft 535

124.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.32 Ft 750

97.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.19 Ft 386

69.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.57 Ft 507

-0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.46 Ft 795

-5.28%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.21 Ft 1,038

35.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.15 Ft 3,280

15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.73 Ft 2,174

31.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.47 Ft 5,323

6.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.51 Ft 811

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.29 Ft 739

-13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.65 Ft 857

-27.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.87 Ft 1,251

9.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.13 Ft 364

-7.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.35 Ft 438

-37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.88 Ft 606

-38.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.58 Ft 187

53.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$9.00 Ft 2,909

-53.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.52 Ft 1,459

65.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.36 Ft 438

-15.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.52 Ft 813

-26.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.16 Ft 375

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$27.48 Ft 8,880

3.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.39 Ft 1,094

-50.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.48 Ft 479

-36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$24.08 Ft 7,781

-36.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.82 Ft 587

-7.14%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

-0.59%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$36.5K Ft 11.8M

-28.43%

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

$156 BGN 272

$168 Ft 54.3K

-7.14%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.87 Ft 6,743

3.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.70 Ft 6,688

-26.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.83 Ft 13.5K

10.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.71 Ft 6,691

34.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.70 Ft 2,811

17.01%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$426 Ft 137.5K

81.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,745 Ft 2.5M

65.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$102 Ft 33.0K

-11.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$52.2 Ft 16.9K

-20.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$95.0 Ft 30.7K

10.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$113 Ft 36.5K

-5.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$556 Ft 179.5K

40.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$393 Ft 127.0K

51.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$659 Ft 212.8K

130.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$726 Ft 234.5K

41.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,853 Ft 921.8K

52.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,909 Ft 939.9K

9.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-63.87%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Csongrad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Csongrad

$393 30.2% 34.1% $204

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Csongrad

$262 20.1% 10% $29

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Csongrad

$173 13.3% 32% $82

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Csongrad

$210 16.1% 8.7% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Csongrad

$163 12.5% 5.6% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Csongrad

$59 4.6% 10.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Csongrad

$43 3.3% 11.8% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $556 in Csongrad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $60.0 in Csongrad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $262 per month, with Csongrad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Csongrad

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

15,409

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Csongrad 510 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Csongrad

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 Csongrad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Csongrad differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,303 including rent). Csongrad is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $1,954 in Csongrad 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 $556 in Csongrad. 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 $1,303 in Csongrad – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Csongrad runs roughly 4% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,303 in Csongrad versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Csongrad but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Csongrad 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 Csongrad 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 Csongrad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.