Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kielce

For one person, living is cheaper in Kielce: $1,403 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Kielce
Learn more

Kielce Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kielce

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kielce

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,403 in Kielce.

Sofia $1,594
Kielce $1,403

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,984 in Kielce.

Sofia $2,478
Kielce $1,984

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,565 in Kielce.

Sofia $3,361
Kielce $2,565

Living in Sofia is roughly 14% more expensive than in Kielce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Kielce 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.28 zł 43.84

49.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$38.33 zł 149

71.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.60 zł 29.54

48.95%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.97 zł 11.55

15.49%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.47 zł 5.73

63.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.08 zł 4.18

71.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.35 zł 13.02

10.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.73 zł 14.49

22.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.04 zł 4.05

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.44 zł 5.58

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.14 zł 4.45

104.39%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.24 zł 12.58

34.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.13 zł 27.71

64.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.38 zł 24.77

38.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$8.93 zł 34.68

95.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.93 zł 3.61

131.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.58 zł 6.15

25.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.30 zł 5.06

48.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.37 zł 9.20

78.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.69 zł 2.68

50.72%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.76 zł 2.94

11.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.04 zł 4.03

10.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.70 zł 2.70

27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.05 zł 19.61

-16.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.83 zł 26.54

9.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 zł 4.75

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.44 zł 5.61

28.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.04 zł 4.03

-16.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$30.77 zł 120

-7.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.79 zł 6.96

-6.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.04 zł 4.03

-9.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.78 zł 41.87

42.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.60 zł 6.23

5.62%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.5K zł 118.5K

-2.34%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$26.7K zł 103.6K

-1.98%

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

$156 BGN 272

$228 zł 886

-31.57%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$8.12 zł 31.56

165.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$14.81 zł 57.5

2.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$38.72 zł 150

19.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.44 zł 71.7

51.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.51 zł 29.16

35.55%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$259 zł 1,007

198.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,977 zł 31.0K

60.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$71.1 zł 276

26.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$35.23 zł 137

17.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$76.0 zł 295

38.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$103 zł 401

3.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$713 zł 2,769

9.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$552 zł 2,146

8.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$965 zł 3,749

57.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$800 zł 3,107

28.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,108 zł 12.1K

39.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,418 zł 9,396

31.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,336 zł 5,190

29.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.42

-54.98%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kielce: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kielce

$552 39.4% 7.5% $45

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kielce

$192 13.7% 33.8% $98

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kielce

$183 13.1% 28.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kielce

$251 17.9% 30.1% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kielce

$129 9.2% 16.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kielce

$54 3.8% 19.1% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kielce

$42 3% 9.2% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $713 in Kielce. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 30% 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 $38.00 in Kielce for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $192 per month, with Kielce cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Kielce

🕒 Local time

01:09 1:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

192,468

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Kielce 930 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kielce

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 Kielce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kielce is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 30% 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 $713 in Kielce. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,403 in Kielce – a 14% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kielce runs roughly 8% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,403 in Kielce versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kielce but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kielce the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kielce is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Kielce 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 Kielce gentler on the wallet – expenses run 14% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.