Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Eger

For one person, living is cheaper in Eger: $1,230 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Eger
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Eger Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Eger

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,230

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Eger

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,230 in Eger.

Sofia $1,594
Eger $1,230

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,822 in Eger.

Sofia $2,478
Eger $1,822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,415 in Eger.

Sofia $3,361
Eger $2,415

Living in Sofia is roughly 30% more expensive than in Eger, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Eger is 9% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.03 Ft 2,918

86.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.30 Ft 12.1K

76.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.80 Ft 2,197

66.47%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.46 Ft 795

39.43%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.06 Ft 341

127.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.68 Ft 219

172.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.25 Ft 727

64.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.84 Ft 595

148.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.23 Ft 398

64.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.34 Ft 433

16.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.49 Ft 805

-6.43%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.52 Ft 1,139

23.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.77 Ft 3,158

20.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.33 Ft 2,045

39.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.12 Ft 4,237

33.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.24 Ft 723

-4.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.22 Ft 717

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.04 Ft 661

-5.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.47 Ft 1,122

22.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.03 Ft 332

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.05 Ft 341

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.46 Ft 472

-21.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.51 Ft 163

74.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$8.01 Ft 2,587

-47.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.31 Ft 1,715

40.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 Ft 393

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.96 Ft 634

-5.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.23 Ft 398

-29.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$30.69 Ft 9,916

-7.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.91 Ft 940

-42.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.54 Ft 498

-38.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.44 Ft 5,959

-16.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.80 Ft 581

-6.11%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.3K Ft 8.8M

9.27%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.3K Ft 12.0M

-29.89%

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

$156 BGN 272

$125 Ft 40.5K

24.47%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$21.37 Ft 6,904

0.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.34 Ft 6,571

-25.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$72.7 Ft 23.5K

-36.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.24 Ft 6,216

45.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.62 Ft 2,786

18.10%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$249 Ft 80.3K

211.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,787 Ft 2.2M

88.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$82.8 Ft 26.8K

8.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$26.82 Ft 8,665

53.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$75.0 Ft 24.2K

40.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$81.4 Ft 26.3K

31.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$540 Ft 174.5K

44.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$425 Ft 137.2K

40.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$700 Ft 226.2K

116.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$625 Ft 201.9K

64.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,450 Ft 1.1M

26.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,710 Ft 875.6K

17.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,500 Ft 484.6K

15.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

8.38

-65.51%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Eger: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Eger

$425 34.5% 28.8% $172

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Eger

$238 19.4% 18.1% $53

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Eger

$144 11.7% 43.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Eger

$167 13.6% 13.4% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Eger

$120 9.7% 22.4% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Eger

$90 7.3% 35.3% $23

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Eger

$46 3.8% 20.5% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $540 in Eger. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 16% 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 $37.00 in Eger for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $238 per month, with Eger cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Eger

🕒 Local time

23:41 11:41 PM

22:41 10:41 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

49,499

💱 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 Eger 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Eger

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 Eger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Eger differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,230 including rent). Eger is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 16% 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 $540 in Eger. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $249 in Eger. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,230 in Eger versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Eger but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Eger 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 Eger 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 Eger gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.