Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Debrecen

For one person, living is cheaper in Debrecen: $1,358 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
66

Cost of Living Index in Debrecen
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Debrecen Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Debrecen

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,358

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Debrecen

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,358 in Debrecen, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Debrecen $1,358

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,149 in Debrecen, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Debrecen $2,149

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,940 in Debrecen, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Debrecen $2,940

Sofia costs about 17% more than Debrecen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Debrecen sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Debrecen by 1%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$13.76 Ft 4,479

24.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$49.34 Ft 16.1K

35.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$10.02 Ft 3,260

17.47%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.36 Ft 767

44.92%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.54 Ft 500

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.07 Ft 347

73.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.88 Ft 611

77.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.25 Ft 732

101.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.21 Ft 393

58.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.47 Ft 478

2.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.47 Ft 803

-10.53%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.53 Ft 1,147

24.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$10.19 Ft 3,317

13.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.96 Ft 2,263

26.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$15.45 Ft 5,028

9.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$2.00 Ft 650

8.50%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$2.22 Ft 723

-8.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.03 Ft 660

-9.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.41 Ft 1,108

25.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.92 Ft 298

11.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.21 Ft 393

-23.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.52 Ft 494

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.56 Ft 183

64.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.03 Ft 2,288

-38.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$4.16 Ft 1,353

76.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.23 Ft 401

-4.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.09 Ft 681

-10.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.51 Ft 493

-42.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$26.60 Ft 8,655

5.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$3.28 Ft 1,068

-46.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.49 Ft 484

-35.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$12.10 Ft 3,936

28.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.88 Ft 611

-4.79%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$32.3K Ft 10.5M

-7.31%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$36.6K Ft 11.9M

-28.03%

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

$156 BGN 273

$156 Ft 50.8K

-0.20%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$25.95 Ft 8,444

-18.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$20.95 Ft 6,816

-25.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$48.87 Ft 15.9K

-4.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$7.95 Ft 2,586

248.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$10.00 Ft 3,254

0.20%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$414 Ft 134.9K

84.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$10.8K Ft 3.5M

18.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$86.9 Ft 28.3K

3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$33.98 Ft 11.1K

20.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$84.9 Ft 27.6K

24.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$103 Ft 33.5K

1.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$621 Ft 201.9K

28.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$465 Ft 151.4K

30.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,197 Ft 389.6K

30.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$935 Ft 304.3K

13.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$2,978 Ft 968.9K

46.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,604 Ft 847.1K

24.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,234 Ft 401.6K

40.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.9

-58.12%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Debrecen: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Debrecen

$465 34.2% 23.4% $142

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Debrecen

$248 18.2% 13.8% $40

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Debrecen

$193 14.2% 24.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Debrecen

$203 14.9% 5.4% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Debrecen

$139 10.2% 9.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Debrecen

$69 5.1% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Debrecen

$43 3.2% 13.7% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $621 in Debrecen. 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 41% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia versus $49.00 in Debrecen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $248 – making Debrecen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Debrecen

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

08:59 8:59 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

201,704

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.74 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 325 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.07 USD). 1 EUR = 365 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.74 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Debrecen 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Debrecen

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 Debrecen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 17% more than Debrecen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $2,036 in Debrecen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 6% less in Debrecen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $414 in Debrecen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Debrecen, where all-in costs run around $1,358, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Debrecen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Debrecen costs $1,358 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Debrecen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.