Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kisvarda

For one person, living is cheaper in Kisvarda: $1,316 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Kisvarda
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Kisvarda Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Kisvarda

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,316

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kisvarda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Sofia versus $1,316 in Kisvarda.

Sofia $1,609
Kisvarda $1,316

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Sofia versus $1,974 in Kisvarda.

Sofia $2,495
Kisvarda $1,974

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,381 in Sofia versus $2,632 in Kisvarda.

Sofia $3,381
Kisvarda $2,632

Living in Sofia is roughly 22% more expensive than in Kisvarda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kisvarda is 3% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$9.22 Ft 3,037

83.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$48.35 Ft 15.9K

37.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$9.67 Ft 3,186

19.86%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$2.16 Ft 712

62.96%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.24 Ft 408

95.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.95 Ft 312

86.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$1.78 Ft 585

106.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$2.30 Ft 759

90.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.25 Ft 411

56.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.51 Ft 497

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.47 Ft 814

-10.93%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$3.67 Ft 1,208

19.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$10.23 Ft 3,370

14.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$6.98 Ft 2,297

24.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$15.25 Ft 5,023

13.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$1.97 Ft 647

8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.16 Ft 710

-5.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.08 Ft 687

-7.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$3.55 Ft 1,169

17.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$0.89 Ft 295

21.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.27 Ft 417

-28.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$1.56 Ft 515

-24.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.56 Ft 185

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$6.93 Ft 2,281

-39.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$4.03 Ft 1,326

90.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.23 Ft 406

-4.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$2.20 Ft 723

-18.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.24 Ft 409

-29.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$29.35 Ft 9,666

-0.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$3.28 Ft 1,080

-48.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.43 Ft 472

-39.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$12.10 Ft 3,986

30.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.86 Ft 613

-6.99%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$27.6K Ft 9.1M

7.43%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$34.2K Ft 11.3M

-25.17%

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

$161 BGN 282

$156 Ft 51.3K

3.27%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$26.70 Ft 8,794

-21.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$21.46 Ft 7,065

-29.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$57.4 Ft 18.9K

-15.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$17.98 Ft 5,920

52.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$9.48 Ft 3,123

7.17%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$407 Ft 134.2K

92.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.7K Ft 3.5M

19.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$89.7 Ft 29.5K

0.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$32.93 Ft 10.8K

25.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$86.8 Ft 28.6K

23.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$101 Ft 33.2K

8.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$511 Ft 168.3K

54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$451 Ft 148.6K

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$832 Ft 273.9K

82.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$691 Ft 227.4K

50.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$3,073 Ft 1.0M

43.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$2,133 Ft 702.5K

47.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.9

-58.12%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kisvarda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Kisvarda

$451 34.3% 25.3% $153

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Kisvarda

$249 18.9% 13.5% $39

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Kisvarda

$151 11.5% 41% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Kisvarda

$204 15.5% 3.4% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Kisvarda

$140 10.6% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Kisvarda

$76 5.8% 11.1% $7.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kisvarda

$45 3.4% 16.1% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Sofia and $511 in Kisvarda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66 in Sofia vs $48 in Kisvarda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $249 per month, with Kisvarda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Kisvarda

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

22:35 10:35 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

14,888

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.72 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 27, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 329 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.04 USD). 1 EUR = 367 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.72 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kisvarda 620 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kisvarda

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 Kisvarda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Kisvarda differ by about 22% in total monthly costs ($1,609 vs $1,316 including rent). Kisvarda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,413 in Sofia and $1,974 in Kisvarda 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $789 in Sofia versus $511 in Kisvarda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,609 per month in Sofia versus $1,316 in Kisvarda – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kisvarda gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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 Kisvarda are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.