Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Hodmezovasarhely

For one person, living is cheaper in Hodmezovasarhely: $1,258 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Hodmezovasarhely
Learn more

Hodmezovasarhely Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Hodmezovasarhely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,258

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Hodmezovasarhely

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,258 in Hodmezovasarhely.

Sofia $1,594
Hodmezovasarhely $1,258

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,955 in Hodmezovasarhely.

Sofia $2,478
Hodmezovasarhely $1,955

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,652 in Hodmezovasarhely.

Sofia $3,361
Hodmezovasarhely $2,652

Living in Sofia is roughly 27% more expensive than in Hodmezovasarhely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Hodmezovasarhely is 7% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$8.97 Ft 2,893

88.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$58.3 Ft 18.8K

12.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.14 Ft 2,946

23.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.41 Ft 777

42.32%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.29 Ft 416

86.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.28 Ft 411

44.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.70 Ft 547

117.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.33 Ft 752

96.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.17 Ft 376

72.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.30 Ft 419

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.41 Ft 777

-3.32%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.22 Ft 1,037

35.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.52 Ft 3,390

11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.52 Ft 2,102

35.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.41 Ft 5,288

6.40%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.23 Ft 720

-3.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.15 Ft 693

-7.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.12 Ft 684

-8.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$4.03 Ft 1,299

5.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.05 Ft 339

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.05 Ft 340

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.66 Ft 534

-30.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.50 Ft 163

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.78 Ft 2,509

-45.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.72 Ft 1,521

58.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 Ft 394

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.99 Ft 642

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.19 Ft 384

-26.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$26.76 Ft 8,626

6.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.04 Ft 979

-44.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.45 Ft 467

-35.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.99 Ft 5,800

-14.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.86 Ft 600

-9.14%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.0K Ft 9.7M

-0.54%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.8K Ft 12.2M

-30.80%

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

$156 BGN 272

$152 Ft 48.8K

3.02%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$21.59 Ft 6,960

-0.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.66 Ft 6,658

-26.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$47.21 Ft 15.2K

-2.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.36 Ft 5,920

52.07%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.64 Ft 2,786

17.82%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$249 Ft 80.4K

210.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,806 Ft 2.2M

88.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$98.7 Ft 31.8K

-8.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$50.6 Ft 16.3K

-18.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$92.9 Ft 29.9K

13.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$113 Ft 36.3K

-5.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$520 Ft 167.6K

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$396 Ft 127.7K

50.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$772 Ft 248.9K

96.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$657 Ft 211.9K

56.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,110 Ft 1.0M

39.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,572 Ft 829.2K

23.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$908 Ft 292.6K

91.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-58.71%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Hodmezovasarhely: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Hodmezovasarhely

$396 31.5% 33.6% $201

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Hodmezovasarhely

$251 19.9% 13.7% $40

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Hodmezovasarhely

$152 12.1% 40.5% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Hodmezovasarhely

$194 15.4% 0.5% $0.9

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Hodmezovasarhely

$160 12.7% 3.4% $5.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Hodmezovasarhely

$64 5.1% 2.9% $2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Hodmezovasarhely

$42 3.3% 8.9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $520 in Hodmezovasarhely. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 91% 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: $66.0 in Sofia vs $58.0 in Hodmezovasarhely for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $251 per month, with Hodmezovasarhely cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Hodmezovasarhely

🕒 Local time

18:58 6:58 PM

17:58 5:58 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

41,781

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Hodmezovasarhely 480 km

From you

Sofia
Hodmezovasarhely

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 Hodmezovasarhely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Hodmezovasarhely differ by about 27% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,258 including rent). Hodmezovasarhely is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 91% 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: $783 in Sofia versus $520 in Hodmezovasarhely. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hodmezovasarhely runs roughly 7% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $249 in Hodmezovasarhely. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,258 in Hodmezovasarhely versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hodmezovasarhely but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Hodmezovasarhely 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 Hodmezovasarhely 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 Hodmezovasarhely gentler on the wallet – expenses run 27% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.