Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Koło

For one person, living is cheaper in Koło: $1,432 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Koło
Learn more

Koło Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Koło

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Koło

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,432 in Koło.

Sofia $1,594
Koło $1,432

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,062 in Koło.

Sofia $2,478
Koło $2,062

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,691 in Koło.

Sofia $3,361
Koło $2,691

Living in Sofia is roughly 11% more expensive than in Koło, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Koło 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$10.00 zł 38.85

68.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$42.72 zł 166

54.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.65 zł 33.60

30.87%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.50 zł 13.58

-2.00%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.07 zł 8.05

16.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.61 zł 6.24

14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.64 zł 14.15

1.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.79 zł 14.71

20.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.01 zł 3.92

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.30 zł 5.03

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.42 zł 5.52

64.08%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.27 zł 12.70

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.39 zł 32.60

40.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.69 zł 22.11

55.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.91 zł 46.27

46.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.14 zł 4.44

88.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.66 zł 6.47

19.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.65 zł 6.40

16.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.64 zł 10.24

60.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.83 zł 3.21

25.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.04 zł 4.05

-18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.32 zł 5.11

-12.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.68 zł 2.63

30.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.20 zł 20.21

-19.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.54 zł 25.41

14.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.13 zł 4.39

1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.51 zł 5.86

22.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.08 zł 4.19

-19.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$28.76 zł 112

-0.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.08 zł 8.10

-19.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.66 zł 2.56

42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$9.85 zł 38.28

55.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.59 zł 6.16

6.29%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.7K zł 126.9K

-8.78%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.3K zł 94.3K

7.73%

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

$156 BGN 272

$274 zł 1,064

-43.03%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$8.76 zł 34.05

146.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$16.98 zł 66.0

-10.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$36.28 zł 141

27.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$22.37 zł 86.9

24.81%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.62 zł 25.71

53.78%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$338 zł 1,314

128.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$9,118 zł 35.4K

40.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$82.9 zł 322

8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$38.00 zł 148

8.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$79.3 zł 308

32.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$99.0 zł 385

7.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$599 zł 2,327

30.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$515 zł 2,001

15.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,003 zł 3,899

51.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$812 zł 3,153

26.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,832 zł 11.0K

53.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,304 zł 8,953

37.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.68

-56.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Koło: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Koło

$515 36% 13.7% $82

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Koło

$206 14.4% 29% $84

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Koło

$188 13.2% 26.1% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Koło

$300 20.9% 55.4% $107

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Koło

$135 9.4% 12.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Koło

$50 3.5% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Koło

$38 2.7% 0.2% $0.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $599 in Koło. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $43.00 in Koło for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $206 per month, with Koło cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Koło

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

23:25 11:25 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

21,035

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Koło 1,110 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Koło

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 Koło: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Koło differ by about 11% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,432 including rent). Koło is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $2,391 in Sofia and $2,148 in Koło 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: $783 in Sofia versus $599 in Koło. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Koło runs roughly 1% 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 $338 in Koło. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,432 in Koło versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Koło but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Koło 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 Koło 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 Koło gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.