Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kolobrzeg

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolobrzeg: $1,205 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Kolobrzeg
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Kolobrzeg Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Kolobrzeg

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,205

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kolobrzeg

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,205 in Kolobrzeg.

Sofia $1,594
Kolobrzeg $1,205

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,018 in Kolobrzeg.

Sofia $2,478
Kolobrzeg $2,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,832 in Kolobrzeg.

Sofia $3,361
Kolobrzeg $2,832

Living in Sofia is roughly 32% more expensive than in Kolobrzeg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kolobrzeg is 11% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.75 zł 37.88

73.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$62.5 zł 243

5.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.75 zł 30.12

46.06%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.49 zł 13.56

-1.72%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.09 zł 8.14

15.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.61 zł 6.26

14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.90 zł 15.13

-5.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.79 zł 14.74

20.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.05 zł 4.08

92.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.24 zł 4.83

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$0.94 zł 3.65

147.87%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.97 zł 11.55

46.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.01 zł 34.99

30.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.93 zł 23.03

48.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.55 zł 44.88

51.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.05 zł 4.06

104.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.25 zł 4.86

58.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.56 zł 6.07

23.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.13 zł 12.17

35.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.74 zł 2.87

40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.29 zł 5.01

-34.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.16 zł 4.50

-0.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.50 zł 1.94

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.68 zł 18.18

-10.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.99 zł 27.17

6.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.74 zł 2.87

55.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.30 zł 5.04

42.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.25 zł 4.87

-30.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$46.21 zł 180

-38.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.09 zł 8.14

-19.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.77 zł 2.99

22.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$9.86 zł 38.30

55.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.60 zł 6.22

5.62%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.6K zł 119.0K

-2.70%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$26.7K zł 103.9K

-2.28%

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

$156 BGN 272

$216 zł 841

-27.87%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$7.53 zł 29.25

186.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$15.21 zł 59.1

0.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$50.4 zł 196

-8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$13.80 zł 53.6

102.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.28 zł 28.27

39.84%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$327 zł 1,272

136.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,550 zł 17.7K

181.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$82.8 zł 322

8.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$32.69 zł 127

26.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$87.6 zł 340

20.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$101 zł 392

5.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$605 zł 2,351

29.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$322 zł 1,250

85.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,652 zł 6,419

-8.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$868 zł 3,373

18.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,361 zł 5,289

219.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$886 zł 3,442

258.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,268 zł 8,811

-23.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.53

-55.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kolobrzeg: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Kolobrzeg

$322 26.7% 46.1% $275

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Kolobrzeg

$200 16.6% 31.1% $90

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Kolobrzeg

$185 15.4% 27.4% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Kolobrzeg

$239 19.9% 24% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Kolobrzeg

$137 11.4% 11.4% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kolobrzeg

$65 5.4% 2.3% $1.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kolobrzeg

$57 4.8% 49% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $605 in Kolobrzeg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kolobrzeg pays 31% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $63.0 in Kolobrzeg for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $200 per month, with Kolobrzeg cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Kolobrzeg

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

43,364

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kolobrzeg 1,400 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kolobrzeg

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 Kolobrzeg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Kolobrzeg differ by about 32% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,205 including rent). Kolobrzeg is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Kolobrzeg. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $605 in Kolobrzeg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kolobrzeg – a meal for two runs $63.0 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,205 in Kolobrzeg – a 32% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,205 in Kolobrzeg versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kolobrzeg but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kolobrzeg 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 Kolobrzeg 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 Kolobrzeg gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.