Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gniezno

For one person, living is cheaper in Gniezno: $1,515 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Gniezno, Poland
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,609
/mo nomad
Gniezno
🇵🇱 Poland
$1,515
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gniezno

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,515 in Gniezno, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,609
  • Gniezno $1,515

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,127 in Gniezno, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,495
  • Gniezno $2,127

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $2,738 in Gniezno, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,381
  • Gniezno $2,738

Sofia costs about 6% more than Gniezno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Gniezno sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Gniezno by 11%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.88 BGN 29.53
$10.11 zł 39.95
66.96%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$66.5 BGN 116
$51.3 zł 203
29.56%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.59 BGN 20.29
$9.95 zł 39.33
16.48%
Cappuccino
$3.52 BGN 6.17
$3.62 zł 14.32
-2.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 BGN 4.23
$2.22 zł 8.79
9.01%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.77 BGN 3.09
$1.90 zł 7.49
-6.84%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.68 BGN 6.44
$4.10 zł 16.21
-10.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 BGN 7.66
$5.20 zł 20.56
-15.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 BGN 3.42
$0.91 zł 3.61
115.38%
White Bread (500g)
$1.51 BGN 2.64
$1.26 zł 4.97
19.84%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.20 BGN 3.85
$1.28 zł 5.07
71.88%
Eggs
$4.40 BGN 7.71
$2.37 zł 9.38
85.65%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 BGN 20.59
$8.80 zł 34.79
33.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.68 BGN 15.19
$4.94 zł 19.51
75.71%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.37 BGN 30.40
$10.29 zł 40.69
68.80%
Apples (1kg)
$2.13 BGN 3.73
$0.53 zł 2.11
301.89%
Banana (1kg)
$2.05 BGN 3.59
$1.23 zł 4.87
66.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.38
$1.28 zł 5.07
50.78%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.17 BGN 7.30
$3.46 zł 13.67
20.52%
Potato (1kg)
$1.08 BGN 1.89
$0.53 zł 2.08
103.77%
Onion (1kg)
$0.91 BGN 1.59
$0.83 zł 3.27
9.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.18 BGN 2.07
$1.00 zł 3.97
18.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.84 BGN 1.47
$0.40 zł 1.58
110.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.18 BGN 7.32
$6.07 zł 23.99
-31.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.68 BGN 13.43
$7.76 zł 30.67
-1.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.17 BGN 2.05
$0.79 zł 3.14
48.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 BGN 3.16
$1.00 zł 3.94
80.00%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.52
$0.90 zł 3.57
-3.33%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.06 BGN 50.9
$32.03 zł 127
-9.27%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.94
$2.48 zł 9.81
-32.26%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 BGN 1.53
$0.98 zł 3.89
-11.22%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.76 BGN 27.58
$10.32 zł 40.80
52.71%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.73 BGN 3.02
$1.71 zł 6.76
1.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.7K BGN 51.9K
$30.8K zł 121.8K
-3.72%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.6K BGN 44.8K
$28.4K zł 112.2K
-9.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$161 BGN 282
$341 zł 1,347
-52.80%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.08 BGN 36.89
$9.74 zł 38.48
116.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.19 BGN 26.58
$17.64 zł 69.7
-13.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$48.34 BGN 84.6
$37.29 zł 147
29.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.47 BGN 48.07
$19.54 zł 77.3
40.58%
Cinema Ticket
$10.16 BGN 17.78
$8.76 zł 34.64
15.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$785 BGN 1,374
$489 zł 1,932
60.64%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
$12.1K zł 47.8K
5.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.8 BGN 157
$92.0 zł 364
-2.44%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 BGN 72.3
$38.86 zł 154
6.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 BGN 188
$90.8 zł 359
18.38%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$109 BGN 191
$104 zł 411
5.16%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$789 BGN 1,381
$674 zł 2,663
17.15%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$604 BGN 1,057
$517 zł 2,043
16.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,517 BGN 2,654
$1,003 zł 3,966
51.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,037 BGN 1,814
$735 zł 2,905
41.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,407 BGN 7,712
$3,223 zł 12.7K
36.73%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,137 BGN 5,490
$2,409 zł 9,521
30.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Gniezno
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,736 BGN 3,038
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
7.2
-59.86%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Gniezno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$604
Gniezno
$517 14.4% $87
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Gniezno
$184 36% $104
Eating Out
Sofia
$256
Gniezno
$202 21.3% $54
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$197
Gniezno
$368 86.8% $171
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$157
Gniezno
$147 6.4% $10
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$69
Gniezno
$55 20.2% $14
Getting Around
Sofia
$39
Gniezno
$43 11.6% $4.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $674 in Gniezno. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia versus $51 in Gniezno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $184 – making Gniezno the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇵🇱 Gniezno
🕒 Local time
23:41 11:41 PM
22:41 10:41 PM
1 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
67,157
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 3.95 PLN (1 PLN = 0.253 USD). 1 EUR = 4.41 PLN (1 PLN = 0.227 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Gniezno 1,170 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Gniezno

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 Gniezno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Sofia and in Gniezno compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,515 in Gniezno – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Sofia compared to Gniezno?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,273 in Gniezno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Sofia and Gniezno?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Gniezno, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $674 there versus $789 in Sofia.
Which city is more expensive overall: Sofia or Gniezno?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Sofia and $1,515 in Gniezno. That’s a gap of about 6%.
How do commuting costs compare in Sofia and in Gniezno?
Public transport costs about 9% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How far does $2,000 go in Sofia compared to Gniezno?
$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,609 in Sofia and $1,515 in Gniezno, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Sofia or Gniezno?
Families tend to lean toward Gniezno – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Sofia or Gniezno safer for residents?
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.

Sofia vs other spots: cost of living compared

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