Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Herceg Novi

For one person, living is cheaper in Herceg Novi: $1,237 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Herceg Novi
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Herceg Novi Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Herceg Novi

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,237

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Herceg Novi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,589 in Sofia versus $1,237 in Herceg Novi.

Sofia $1,589
Herceg Novi $1,237

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,456 in Sofia versus $1,973 in Herceg Novi.

Sofia $2,456
Herceg Novi $1,973

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,324 in Sofia versus $2,710 in Herceg Novi.

Sofia $3,324
Herceg Novi $2,710

Living in Sofia is roughly 28% more expensive than in Herceg Novi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 19% above, Herceg Novi is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$11.23 €10.02

52.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$36.34 €32.43

84.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$9.19 €8.20

28.07%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.59 €2.31

32.05%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.47 €2.20

-2.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.64 €1.46

13.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.82 €2.52

18.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.39 €3.02

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.16 €1.04

65.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.02 €0.91

48.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.82 €2.52

-21.63%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.03 €2.70

45.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$8.94 €7.98

29.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$7.27 €6.48

20.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$12.81 €11.43

32.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.34 €1.20

61.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.55 €1.38

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.58 €1.41

16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.02 €2.70

42.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.89 €0.80

15.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.30 €1.16

-28.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.52 €1.36

-21.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.93 €0.83

-1.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$3.98 €3.55

8.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$4.43 €3.96

65.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.24 €1.11

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.72 €1.54

8.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.69 €1.51

-48.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$45.08 €40.23

-37.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.91 €2.60

-40.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.09 €0.97

-11.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$16.59 €14.81

-6.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.72 €1.53

4.07%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$33.0K €29.5K

-9.26%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$20.9K €18.7K

25.97%

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

$156 BGN 273

$131 €117

18.61%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$12.86 €11.48

64.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$33.38 €29.79

-53.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$55.7 €49.71

-16.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$11.00 €9.81

152.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$8.00 €7.14

25.25%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$443 €395

72.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$7,028 €6,272

81.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$82.5 €73.7

8.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$33.95 €30.30

20.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$73.9 €65.9

43.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$94.6 €84.4

10.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$657 €587

21.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$395 €353

53.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,232 €1,100

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$886 €791

19.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,642 €3,250

19.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,415 €2,155

34.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,037 €926

67.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Herceg Novi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Herceg Novi

$395 31.8% 35% $212

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Herceg Novi

$225 18.1% 21.6% $62

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Herceg Novi

$186 14.9% 27.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Herceg Novi

$178 14.3% 7.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Herceg Novi

$128 10.3% 16.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Herceg Novi

$72 5.8% 7.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Herceg Novi

$60 4.8% 57.8% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $796 in Sofia and $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 68% 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 $36.00 in Herceg Novi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $287 vs $225 per month, with Herceg Novi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇪 Herceg Novi

🕒 Local time

12:53 12:53 PM

11:53 11:53 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

11,059

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 = 0.51 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 Herceg Novi 390 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 Herceg Novi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Herceg Novi differ by about 28% in total monthly costs ($1,589 vs $1,237 including rent). Herceg Novi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 68% 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 $657 in Herceg Novi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 28% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Herceg Novi – a meal for two runs $36.00 versus $67.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,237 in Herceg Novi versus $1,589 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Herceg Novi but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi 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 Herceg Novi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.