Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gjilan

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
Learn more

Gjilan Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gjilan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $774 in Gjilan.

Sofia $1,589
Gjilan $774

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $1,140 in Gjilan.

Sofia $2,456
Gjilan $1,140

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $1,507 in Gjilan.

Sofia $3,324
Gjilan $1,507

Living in Sofia is roughly 105% more expensive than in Gjilan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 19% above, Gjilan is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$4.13 €3.69

314.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$22.81 €20.35

193.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$5.77 €5.15

103.99%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.36 €1.21

151.47%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.09 €0.97

122.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.88 €0.78

111.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.66 €1.48

100.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$1.32 €1.18

243.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.25 €1.11

53.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.46 €0.41

228.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.29 €1.15

71.32%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.86 €1.66

136.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$7.81 €6.97

48.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.67 €5.95

31.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$12.67 €11.31

33.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.57 €1.40

38.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.58 €1.41

29.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.69 €1.51

8.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.65 €1.47

160.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.96 €0.85

7.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.86 €0.77

8.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.84 €0.75

42.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.49 €0.44

87.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.41 €3.04

26.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$5.69 €5.07

28.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.00 €0.89

18.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.26 €1.13

48.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.58 €0.52

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.19 €1.96

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.59 €0.52

62.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$3.30 €2.95

370.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.43 €1.28

25.17%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$22.2K €19.8K

35.00%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$25.6K €22.9K

2.82%

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

$156 BGN 273

$107 €95.2

46.28%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$11.27 €10.06

88.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$23.50 €20.97

-33.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$19.87 €17.73

135.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$4.57 €4.08

119.26%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$166 €148

362.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$1,466 €1,308

771.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$42.41 €37.85

111.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$31.57 €28.17

29.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$63.2 €56.4

67.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$79.9 €71.3

31.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$278 €248

186.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$228 €204

166.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$479 €428

226.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$360 €321

194.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$911 €813

378.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$700 €624

364.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$441 €394

294.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.5

-35.78%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Gjilan

$228 29.3% 62.4% $379

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Gjilan

$190 24.3% 34% $98

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Gjilan

$85 11% 66.6% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Gjilan

$141 18.2% 26.7% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Gjilan

$98 12.5% 36.4% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Gjilan

$29 3.7% 56.6% $38

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1% 80.5% $31

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $278 in Gjilan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 294% 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: $67.0 in Sofia vs $23.00 in Gjilan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $190 per month, with Gjilan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

54,239

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Sofia Gjilan 150 km

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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 Gjilan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Gjilan differ by about 105% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $774 including rent). Gjilan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 294% 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: $796 in Sofia versus $278 in Gjilan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,589 per month in Sofia versus $774 in Gjilan – a 105% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $774 in Gjilan versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Gjilan but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Gjilan 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 Gjilan 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 Gjilan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.