Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Koszalin

For one person, living is cheaper in Koszalin: $1,286 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
62

Cost of Living Index in Koszalin
Learn more

Koszalin Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Koszalin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,286

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Koszalin

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,286 in Koszalin.

Sofia $1,594
Koszalin $1,286

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,910 in Koszalin.

Sofia $2,478
Koszalin $1,910

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,534 in Koszalin.

Sofia $3,361
Koszalin $2,534

Living in Sofia is roughly 24% more expensive than in Koszalin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Koszalin is 5% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$8.18 zł 31.78

106.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$38.27 zł 149

71.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.84 zł 34.34

28.05%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.94 zł 11.41

16.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.58 zł 6.13

52.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.30 zł 5.07

42.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.73 zł 14.51

-0.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.57 zł 10.00

78.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.99 zł 3.84

104.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.11 zł 4.33

40.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$0.80 zł 3.10

191.25%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.89 zł 11.23

50.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.30 zł 32.26

41.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.42 zł 24.92

37.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$9.51 zł 36.94

83.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.83 zł 3.22

159.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.12 zł 4.36

76.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.74 zł 6.77

10.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.33 zł 9.05

81.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.66 zł 2.56

57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.77 zł 3.00

10.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.85 zł 3.32

35.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.56 zł 2.18

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.68 zł 18.20

-10.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.52 zł 25.33

14.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.05 zł 4.06

9.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.33 zł 5.16

39.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.00 zł 3.87

-13.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$27.92 zł 108

2.18%

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

$0.64 zł 2.47

46.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$9.03 zł 35.09

69.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.65 zł 6.40

2.42%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$29.7K zł 115.3K

0.43%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$27.1K zł 105.4K

-3.70%

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

$156 BGN 272

$287 zł 1,115

-45.64%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.15 zł 39.42

112.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$17.18 zł 66.8

-11.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$35.42 zł 138

30.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.52 zł 29.23

35.37%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$521 zł 2,024

48.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,925 zł 30.8K

61.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$87.3 zł 339

3.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$48.05 zł 187

-14.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$91.1 zł 354

15.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$102 zł 395

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$630 zł 2,449

24.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$388 zł 1,508

53.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,030 zł 4,000

47.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$759 zł 2,948

35.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,128 zł 8,268

104.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,236 zł 4,802

40.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.67

-56.67%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Koszalin: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Koszalin

$388 30.2% 35% $209

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Koszalin

$185 14.4% 36.2% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Koszalin

$163 12.6% 36.2% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Koszalin

$314 24.5% 63% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Koszalin

$148 11.5% 4.3% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Koszalin

$50 3.9% 24.1% $16

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Koszalin

$37 2.9% 3.2% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $630 in Koszalin. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 40% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Sofia vs $38.00 in Koszalin for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $185 per month, with Koszalin cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Koszalin

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

05:38 5:38 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

105,143

💱 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 Koszalin 1,380 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Koszalin

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 Koszalin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Koszalin is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 24% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $630 in Koszalin. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 57% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Koszalin – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,286 in Koszalin versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Koszalin but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Koszalin the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Koszalin is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Koszalin 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 Koszalin gentler on the wallet – expenses run 24% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.