Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kaštela

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaštela: $1,423 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Kaštela
Learn more

Kaštela Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kaštela

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,423

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kaštela

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,423 in Kaštela.

Sofia $1,594
Kaštela $1,423

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,212 in Kaštela.

Sofia $2,478
Kaštela $2,212

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $3,001 in Kaštela.

Sofia $3,361
Kaštela $3,001

Living in Sofia is roughly 12% more expensive than in Kaštela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Kaštela 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$16.95 €15.14

-0.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$76.9 €68.6

-14.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$9.11 €8.13

24.26%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$2.82 €2.51

21.63%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$3.94 €3.52

-38.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.82 €2.51

-34.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$4.67 €4.17

-20.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$4.83 €4.31

-5.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.30 €1.16

55.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$1.64 €1.46

-4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$3.11 €2.78

-25.08%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$4.03 €3.59

8.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$14.01 €12.51

-16.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$9.21 €8.23

-4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$12.07 €10.78

44.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.89 €1.69

13.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$1.64 €1.46

20.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.07 €1.84

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$2.79 €2.49

51.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$2.03 €1.82

-48.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.06 €1.84

-58.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.32 €1.18

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$1.36 €1.21

-34.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$5.76 €5.14

-26.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$7.95 €7.10

-6.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.41 €1.26

-18.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$1.42 €1.27

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$2.29 €2.05

-62.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$51.8 €46.23

-44.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$3.67 €3.27

-54.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$2.04 €1.82

-53.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$29.38 €26.23

-47.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.86 €1.66

-9.14%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$26.2K €23.4K

13.85%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$25.0K €22.3K

4.66%

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

$156 BGN 273

$182 €163

-14.32%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$25.30 €22.59

-14.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$41.81 €37.34

-63.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$56.9 €50.8

-18.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$13.83 €12.35

101.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$8.73 €7.79

16.61%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$423 €378

82.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$6,737 €6,016

90.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$93.0 €83.0

-3.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$27.57 €24.62

49.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$104 €92.9

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$97.8 €87.4

9.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$480 €428

63.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$341 €305

74.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$586 €524

158.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$533 €476

93.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$3,241 €2,894

34.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,381 €2,126

33.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$870 €777

99.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.72

-22.31%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kaštela: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kaštela

$341 24% 42.8% $256

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kaštela

$281 19.8% 3.2% $9.2

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kaštela

$257 18.1% 0.8% $2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kaštela

$249 17.5% 29.2% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kaštela

$145 10.2% 6% $9.3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kaštela

$74 5.2% 11.8% $7.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kaštela

$75 5.3% 94.9% $36

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $480 in Kaštela. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 99% 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 $77.0 in Kaštela. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $281, with Kaštela cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇷 Kaštela

🕒 Local time

15:19 3:19 PM

14:19 2:19 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,794

💱 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 15, 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 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Kaštela 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kaštela

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 Kaštela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Kaštela differ by about 12% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,423 including rent). Kaštela is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 99% 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 $480 in Kaštela. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kaštela runs roughly 81% 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 $423 in Kaštela. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,423 in Kaštela versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kaštela but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kaštela 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 Kaštela 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 Kaštela gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.