Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Korce

For one person, living is cheaper in Korce: $1,001 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Korce
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Korce Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Korce

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,001

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Korce

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,001 in Korce, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Korce $1,001

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,483 in Korce, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Korce $1,483

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,965 in Korce, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Korce $1,965

Sofia costs about 59% more than Korce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Korce is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$6.07 ALL 489

177.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.94 ALL 3,055

73.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$5.99 ALL 482

88.98%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.92 ALL 155

78.65%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.84 ALL 148

30.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.68 ALL 55.0

172.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.49 ALL 201

48.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.41 ALL 194

90.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.93 ALL 155

4.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.00 ALL 80.2

56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.08 ALL 168

12.02%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.57 ALL 207

69.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.26 ALL 826

14.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.69 ALL 700

1.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.92 ALL 1,121

25.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.22 ALL 98.2

76.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.31 ALL 186

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.28 ALL 103

50.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.64 ALL 132

158.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.05 ALL 84.4

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.00 ALL 80.3

-15.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.05 ALL 84.2

9.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.81 ALL 65.4

9.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.38 ALL 353

-3.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.03 ALL 647

-7.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.80 ALL 145

-36.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.84 ALL 148

0.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.64 ALL 51.3

35.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$18.41 ALL 1,483

54.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.72 ALL 300

-54.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.74 ALL 301

-74.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.53 ALL 1,492

-17.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.24 ALL 180

-24.55%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.5K ALL 2.7M

-10.98%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.2K ALL 1.9M

8.09%

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

$156 BGN 272

$59.9 ALL 4,826

160.44%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$18.16 ALL 1,462

18.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$15.08 ALL 1,214

1.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$33.08 ALL 2,664

39.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.66 ALL 1,503

49.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.92 ALL 799

2.62%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$224 ALL 18.0K

246.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$44.80 ALL 3,608

100.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$53.9 ALL 4,336

-23.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$104 ALL 8,376

1.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$144 ALL 11.6K

-25.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$474 ALL 38.2K

65.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$294 ALL 23.7K

103.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$496 ALL 39.9K

205.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$305 ALL 24.6K

237.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,377 ALL 110.9K

215.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,120 ALL 90.2K

183.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$670 ALL 53.9K

159.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Korce: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Korce

$294 29.4% 50.8% $303

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Korce

$245 24.5% 15.7% $46

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Korce

$117 11.7% 54.1% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Korce

$93 9.3% 51.7% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Korce

$156 15.6% 1% $1.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Korce

$53 5.3% 20.3% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Korce

$43 4.3% 13.1% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $474 in Korce. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 159% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $38.00 in Korce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $245 – making Korce the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇱 Korce

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

51,152

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, 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).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Korce 310 km

From you

Sofia
Korce

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 Korce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 59%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,502 in Korce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Korce, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 55% less in Korce. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $224 in Korce. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Korce, where all-in costs run around $1,001, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Korce it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Korce – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Korce. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.