Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kazanlak

For one person, living is cheaper in Kazanlak: $876 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Kazanlak
Learn more

Kazanlak Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Kazanlak

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$876

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kazanlak

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Sofia versus $876 in Kazanlak.

Sofia $1,609
Kazanlak $876

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Sofia versus $1,398 in Kazanlak.

Sofia $2,495
Kazanlak $1,398

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,381 in Sofia versus $1,919 in Kazanlak.

Sofia $3,381
Kazanlak $1,919

Living in Sofia is roughly 84% more expensive than in Kazanlak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kazanlak is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$14.08 BGN 24.64

19.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$57.3 BGN 100

15.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$8.92 BGN 15.62

29.93%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$2.23 BGN 3.90

57.85%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.51 BGN 2.64

60.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.17 BGN 2.05

51.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$2.19 BGN 3.83

68.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$2.54 BGN 4.44

72.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.71 BGN 3.00

14.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.06 BGN 1.85

42.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.28 BGN 3.99

-3.51%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$3.47 BGN 6.07

26.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$9.98 BGN 17.47

17.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$6.40 BGN 11.20

35.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$8.57 BGN 14.99

102.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$1.26 BGN 2.20

69.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$1.71 BGN 3.00

19.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$1.73 BGN 3.02

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$1.95 BGN 3.42

113.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$0.95 BGN 1.67

13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.71 BGN 1.24

28.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.56 BGN 0.98

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.64 BGN 1.11

31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$3.79 BGN 6.63

10.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$5.20 BGN 9.10

47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.14 BGN 2.00

2.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$1.68 BGN 2.95

7.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.65 BGN 1.14

33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$12.68 BGN 22.19

129.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$1.28 BGN 2.25

31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$0.65 BGN 1.15

33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$11.37 BGN 19.89

38.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.61 BGN 2.82

7.45%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$30.3K BGN 53.0K

-2.07%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$24.1K BGN 42.2K

6.19%

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

$161 BGN 282

$91.9 BGN 161

75.01%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$14.50 BGN 25.38

45.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$12.13 BGN 21.23

25.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$22.48 BGN 39.34

115.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$8.71 BGN 15.24

16.65%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$223 BGN 389

252.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$2,300 BGN 4,024

454.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$30.09 BGN 52.7

198.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$19.42 BGN 33.98

112.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$63.3 BGN 111

69.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$50.4 BGN 88.2

116.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$347 BGN 607

127.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$226 BGN 396

167.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$680 BGN 1,190

123.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$339 BGN 593

206.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$1,181 BGN 2,067

273.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$977 BGN 1,709

221.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

$1,514 BGN 2,649

14.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kazanlak: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Kazanlak

$226 25.8% 62.6% $378

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Kazanlak

$205 23.4% 28.7% $83

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Kazanlak

$193 22% 24.7% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Kazanlak

$119 13.5% 39.9% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Kazanlak

$73 8.4% 53.1% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Kazanlak

$40 4.6% 41.9% $29

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kazanlak

$20 2.3% 48.6% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Sofia and $347 in Kazanlak. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 15% 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 in Sofia vs $57 in Kazanlak for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $205 per month, with Kazanlak cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Kazanlak

🕒 Local time

13:39 1:39 PM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

49,032

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kazanlak 170 km

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Sofia
Kazanlak

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 Kazanlak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kazanlak is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, groceries, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 15% 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: $789 in Sofia versus $347 in Kazanlak. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $785 in Sofia versus $223 in Kazanlak. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $876 in Kazanlak versus $1,609 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kazanlak but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kazanlak 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 Kazanlak are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kazanlak gentler on the wallet – expenses run 46% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.