Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Esztergom

For one person, living is cheaper in Esztergom: $1,307 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Esztergom
Learn more

Esztergom Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Esztergom

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,307

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Esztergom

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,307 in Esztergom, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Esztergom $1,307

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,042 in Esztergom, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Esztergom $2,042

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,776 in Esztergom, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Esztergom $2,776

Sofia costs about 22% more than Esztergom, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Esztergom is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$12.24 Ft 3,956

37.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$52.5 Ft 17.0K

25.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.07 Ft 2,931

24.81%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.66 Ft 860

28.95%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.98 Ft 638

21.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.18 Ft 380

56.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.00 Ft 969

23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.76 Ft 893

65.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.16 Ft 375

74.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.44 Ft 465

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.42 Ft 781

-3.72%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.17 Ft 1,024

37.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.98 Ft 3,546

7.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.23 Ft 2,013

41.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.69 Ft 4,422

27.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.49 Ft 804

-13.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.13 Ft 689

-7.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.13 Ft 688

-9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.07 Ft 1,316

4.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.20 Ft 387

-13.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.27 Ft 409

-33.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.77 Ft 572

-35.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.52 Ft 169

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.89 Ft 2,550

-46.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.26 Ft 2,023

19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.23 Ft 396

-6.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.62 Ft 523

14.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.20 Ft 388

-27.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$24.73 Ft 7,990

15.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.13 Ft 1,011

-46.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.57 Ft 508

-40.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.99 Ft 5,813

-14.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.83 Ft 592

-7.65%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.9K Ft 10.6M

-9.33%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$35.7K Ft 11.5M

-26.78%

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

$156 BGN 272

$155 Ft 50.2K

0.44%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$33.19 Ft 10.7K

-35.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$27.01 Ft 8,728

-43.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$51.6 Ft 16.7K

-10.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$17.96 Ft 5,802

55.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.44 Ft 2,405

36.83%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$249 Ft 80.4K

211.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,327 Ft 2.4M

74.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$88.3 Ft 28.5K

1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$27.33 Ft 8,829

51.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$99.8 Ft 32.2K

5.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$105 Ft 34.0K

1.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$534 Ft 172.4K

46.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$401 Ft 129.6K

48.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$860 Ft 278.0K

76.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$739 Ft 238.8K

39.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,775 Ft 896.6K

56.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,615 Ft 845.0K

21.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,185 Ft 382.7K

46.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

8.25

-64.97%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Esztergom: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Esztergom

$401 30.7% 32.8% $196

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Esztergom

$249 19% 14.3% $42

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Esztergom

$190 14.6% 25.3% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Esztergom

$216 16.5% 11.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Esztergom

$144 11% 6.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Esztergom

$67 5.1% 0.1% $0.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Esztergom

$41 3.1% 5.6% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $534 in Esztergom. 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 46% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $52.0 in Esztergom. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $249 – making Esztergom the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Esztergom

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

00:16 12:16 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

28,642

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Esztergom 670 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Esztergom

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 Esztergom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 22% more than Esztergom, 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 $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,961 in Esztergom. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $52.0 in Esztergom. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,307 in Esztergom. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Esztergom, where all-in costs run around $1,307, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Esztergom it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Esztergom costs $1,307 versus $1,594 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 Esztergom. 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.