Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kosice

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $1,807 in Kosice, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kosice outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Kosice
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Kosice Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Kosice

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,807

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kosice

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,807 in Kosice, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Kosice $1,807

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,573 in Kosice, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Kosice $2,573

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $3,340 in Kosice, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Kosice $3,340

Sofia is about 11% cheaper than Kosice, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Kosice sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Kosice by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$10.24 €9.17

64.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$56.8 €50.9

16.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$8.88 €7.95

30.52%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$3.54 €3.17

-0.56%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.96 €1.75

23.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.40 €1.26

26.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$2.84 €2.54

29.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$2.21 €1.98

98.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.09 €0.98

79.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.52 €1.36

-0.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.05 €1.84

7.32%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$3.90 €3.49

12.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$12.70 €11.38

-7.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$7.72 €6.92

12.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$12.62 €11.30

37.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$1.65 €1.48

29.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$2.11 €1.89

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$2.30 €2.06

-16.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$4.48 €4.02

-6.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.31 €1.17

-17.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$1.51 €1.35

-39.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$1.59 €1.42

-25.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.83 €0.74

1.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$6.79 €6.08

-38.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$5.45 €4.88

40.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$0.95 €0.85

23.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$1.83 €1.64

-1.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.30 €1.16

-33.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$33.54 €30.04

-13.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$1.64 €1.47

2.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.26 €1.13

-30.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$22.52 €20.17

-30.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.94 €1.74

-10.82%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$25.0K €22.4K

18.50%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$26.3K €23.6K

-2.83%

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

$161 BGN 282

$329 €295

-51.11%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$19.55 €17.51

7.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$20.04 €17.95

-24.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$48.44 €43.39

-0.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$16.40 €14.69

67.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$9.64 €8.63

5.39%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$418 €375

87.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$10.7K €9,549

19.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$69.5 €62.3

29.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$30.23 €27.07

36.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$81.7 €73.2

31.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$92.4 €82.7

18.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$882 €790

-10.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$758 €679

-20.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$1,659 €1,486

-8.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$1,166 €1,044

-11.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$4,207 €3,768

4.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$3,080 €2,758

1.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

$1,501 €1,344

15.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.79

-23.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Kosice: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Kosice

$758 42% 25.5% $154

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Kosice

$260 14.4% 9.9% $28

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Kosice

$183 10.1% 28.5% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Kosice

$369 20.4% 87% $171

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Kosice

$123 6.8% 21.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Kosice

$68 3.8% 1.4% $0.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kosice

$47 2.6% 21% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $882 in Kosice. 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 16% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia versus $57 in Kosice. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $260 – making Kosice the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇰 Kosice

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

21:17 9:17 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

238,593

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kosice 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kosice

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 Kosice: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,807 in Kosice – Sofia comes out roughly 11% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,711 in Kosice. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $789 there versus $882 in Kosice.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia and $57 in Kosice. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Sofia and $1,807 in Kosice. That makes Sofia about 11% cheaper.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,609 in Sofia and $1,807 in Kosice, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,609 versus $1,807 in Kosice. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.