Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gradiska

For one person, living is cheaper in Gradiska: $774 a month against $1,594 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 Gradiska
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Gradiska Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Gradiska

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$774

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gradiska

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $774 in Gradiska, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Gradiska $774

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,267 in Gradiska, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Gradiska $1,267

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,760 in Gradiska, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Gradiska $1,760

Sofia costs about 106% more than Gradiska, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Gradiska is 43% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$5.86 BAM 10.19

187.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.72 BAM 65.6

74.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.69 BAM 11.63

69.21%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.68 BAM 2.93

104.17%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.73 BAM 3.01

39.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.18 BAM 2.06

56.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.73 BAM 3.00

113.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.34 BAM 4.07

95.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.29 BAM 2.25

56.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.11 BAM 1.94

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.71 BAM 2.97

36.26%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.44 BAM 5.98

26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.06 BAM 12.28

66.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.05 BAM 12.26

25.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$15.01 BAM 26.11

16.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.06 BAM 1.84

102.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.43 BAM 2.49

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.21 BAM 2.11

59.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.60 BAM 2.78

165.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.39 BAM 2.41

-25.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.82 BAM 1.42

3.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.61 BAM 2.81

-28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.81 BAM 1.41

9.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.71 BAM 6.45

13.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.81 BAM 15.31

-15.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.00 BAM 1.73

15.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.05 BAM 1.82

76.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$2.92 BAM 5.07

-70.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.68 BAM 2.91

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.15 BAM 2.00

-18.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.09 BAM 17.55

52.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.53 BAM 2.66

10.46%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$31.0K BAM 54.0K

-3.99%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$20.8K BAM 36.2K

25.54%

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

$156 BGN 272

$86.3 BAM 150

80.86%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$18.50 BAM 32.17

16.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$22.68 BAM 39.44

-32.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$24.95 BAM 43.39

84.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$2.81 BAM 4.88

262.28%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$134 BAM 233

478.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$18.6K BAM 32.3K

-31.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$57.0 BAM 99.0

57.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$28.60 BAM 49.73

44.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$72.1 BAM 125

45.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$115 BAM 200

-7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$169 BAM 294

363.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$142 BAM 247

319.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$366 BAM 636

314.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$314 BAM 545

228.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,410 BAM 2,453

208.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,243 BAM 2,162

155.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$673 BAM 1,170

157.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.3

-32.79%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Gradiska: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Gradiska

$142 18.4% 76.2% $455

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Gradiska

$220 28.4% 24.4% $71

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Gradiska

$112 14.5% 56% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Gradiska

$127 16.5% 33.9% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Gradiska

$123 15.9% 20.4% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Gradiska

$31 4% 54% $36

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gradiska

$19 * 2.5% 50.2% $19

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $169 in Gradiska. 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 158% 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 $38.00 in Gradiska. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $220 – making Gradiska the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇦 Gradiska

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

14,368

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Gradiska 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Gradiska

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 Gradiska: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 106%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,161 in Gradiska. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gradiska, 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 $38.00 in Gradiska. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Gradiska, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Gradiska it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Gradiska – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Gradiska. 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.