Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kaposvár

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaposvár: $1,195 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Kaposvár
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,195
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kaposvár

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,195 in Kaposvár.

  • Sofia $1,594
  • Kaposvár $1,195

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,791 in Kaposvár.

  • Sofia $2,478
  • Kaposvár $1,791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,386 in Kaposvár.

  • Sofia $3,361
  • Kaposvár $2,386

Living in Sofia is roughly 33% more expensive than in Kaposvár, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kaposvár is 11% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 BGN 29.35
$10.67 Ft 3,440
58.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 BGN 115
$36.37 Ft 11.7K
80.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 BGN 19.69
$9.30 Ft 2,999
21.72%
Cappuccino
$3.43 BGN 5.98
$1.70 Ft 549
101.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 BGN 4.19
$1.02 Ft 330
136.27%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.22
$0.58 Ft 187
218.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 BGN 6.44
$1.28 Ft 411
189.06%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 BGN 7.97
$1.43 Ft 461
220.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 BGN 3.51
$1.12 Ft 362
80.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 BGN 2.72
$1.23 Ft 396
26.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 BGN 4.05
$1.75 Ft 563
33.14%
Eggs
$4.36 BGN 7.59
$3.21 Ft 1,036
35.83%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 BGN 20.47
$7.49 Ft 2,413
57.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 BGN 15.37
$6.31 Ft 2,033
39.94%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.46 BGN 30.38
$11.74 Ft 3,785
48.72%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.74
$1.41 Ft 455
52.48%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.44
$2.02 Ft 650
-1.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.37
$2.02 Ft 653
-4.46%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 BGN 7.37
$1.40 Ft 453
202.86%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.80
$0.96 Ft 310
8.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 BGN 1.48
$0.63 Ft 202
34.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 BGN 2.00
$0.45 Ft 145
155.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 BGN 1.56
$0.52 Ft 167
71.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 BGN 7.33
$6.81 Ft 2,195
-38.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.46 BGN 12.98
$5.43 Ft 1,750
37.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 BGN 2.01
$1.18 Ft 380
-2.54%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.23
$1.51 Ft 487
22.52%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.51
$0.91 Ft 295
-4.40%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.53 BGN 49.65
$27.20 Ft 8,766
4.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.93
$1.49 Ft 479
12.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 BGN 1.63
$1.57 Ft 506
-40.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.35 BGN 26.70
$18.34 Ft 5,911
-16.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 BGN 2.94
$1.89 Ft 609
-10.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
$32.8K Ft 10.6M
-9.04%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
$35.9K Ft 11.6M
-27.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 BGN 272
$149 Ft 48.2K
4.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.56 BGN 37.52
$24.30 Ft 7,833
-11.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.24 BGN 26.51
$27.39 Ft 8,828
-44.36%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.08 BGN 80.2
$46.69 Ft 15.1K
-1.31%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.92 BGN 48.58
$17.68 Ft 5,699
57.92%
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 BGN 17.72
$7.44 Ft 2,399
36.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 BGN 1,347
$187 Ft 60.3K
313.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
$7,087 Ft 2.3M
80.69%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 BGN 157
$90.1 Ft 29.1K
-0.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 BGN 71.8
$27.67 Ft 8,919
49.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 BGN 183
$96.5 Ft 31.1K
8.95%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 186
$105 Ft 33.9K
1.60%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$783 BGN 1,362
$527 Ft 170.0K
48.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 BGN 1,038
$400 Ft 129.0K
49.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,516 BGN 2,638
$761 Ft 245.3K
99.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 BGN 1,792
$661 Ft 213.0K
55.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,350 BGN 7,568
$3,029 Ft 976.3K
43.60%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,177 BGN 5,528
$2,599 Ft 837.9K
22.23%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Kaposvár
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,735 BGN 3,019
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
8.25
-64.97%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kaposvár: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$597
Kaposvár
$400 33% $197
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$290
Kaposvár
$199 31.6% $92
Eating Out
Sofia
$255
Kaposvár
$149 41.4% $105
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$193
Kaposvár
$201 4.3% $8.3
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Kaposvár
$144 6.9% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$66
Kaposvár
$62 7.3% $4.9
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Kaposvár
$40 4.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $527 in Kaposvár. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $36.00 in Kaposvár for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $199 per month, with Kaposvár cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇭🇺 Kaposvár
🕒 Local time
20:37 8:37 PM
19:37 7:37 PM
1 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
58,830
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Kaposvár 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Kaposvár

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 Kaposvár: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sofia or Kaposvár?
Kaposvár wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kaposvár the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sofia and in Kaposvár?
You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $1,792 in Kaposvár to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Sofia compared to Kaposvár?
Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $527 in Kaposvár. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Sofia compared to Kaposvár?
All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,195 in Kaposvár – a 33% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
How expensive is transport in Sofia compared to Kaposvár?
A monthly transit pass in Kaposvár runs roughly 5% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Sofia or in Kaposvár?
At $1,195 in Kaposvár versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kaposvár but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kaposvár the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Sofia or Kaposvár?
Both work as nomad bases, but Kaposvár delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,195 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kaposvár hard to pass up.
How safe is Sofia compared to Kaposvár?
Safety-wise, Sofia and Kaposvár are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
Expats usually find Kaposvár gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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