Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Lezhe

For one person, living is cheaper in Lezhe: $1,011 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Lezhe
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Lezhe Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Lezhe

🇦🇱 Albania

$1,011

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Lezhe

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,011 in Lezhe, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Lezhe $1,011

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,537 in Lezhe, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Lezhe $1,537

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,063 in Lezhe, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Lezhe $2,063

Sofia costs about 58% more than Lezhe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Lezhe is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$5.39 ALL 434

212.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.19 ALL 2,995

76.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$3.64 ALL 293

210.99%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.02 ALL 82.4

236.27%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.50 ALL 121

60.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.64 ALL 51.3

189.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.49 ALL 120

148.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.43 ALL 195

88.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.90 ALL 153

6.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.99 ALL 79.6

57.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.02 ALL 163

15.35%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.66 ALL 214

63.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.15 ALL 817

15.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.60 ALL 692

2.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.03 ALL 1,130

24.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.91 ALL 154

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.23 ALL 179

-11.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.62 ALL 130

19.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.59 ALL 128

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.08 ALL 87.0

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.28 ALL 103

-33.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.18 ALL 94.8

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.83 ALL 67.0

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.31 ALL 347

-2.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.79 ALL 627

-4.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.72 ALL 138

-33.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.85 ALL 149

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.49 ALL 39.41

77.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$18.93 ALL 1,524

50.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.73 ALL 301

-54.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.82 ALL 308

-75.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.97 ALL 1,447

-14.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.25 ALL 182

-24.89%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$33.2K ALL 2.7M

-10.30%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.8K ALL 2.0M

5.58%

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

$156 BGN 272

$60.0 ALL 4,833

160.05%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.37 ALL 1,318

31.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$16.98 ALL 1,367

-10.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$55.3 ALL 4,456

-16.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.77 ALL 706

16.08%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$180 ALL 14.5K

330.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$49.81 ALL 4,011

80.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$55.5 ALL 4,468

-25.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$96.3 ALL 7,752

9.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$146 ALL 11.8K

-26.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$482 ALL 38.9K

62.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$308 ALL 24.8K

93.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$709 ALL 57.1K

113.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$429 ALL 34.6K

139.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,694 ALL 136.4K

156.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,133 ALL 91.2K

180.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$609 ALL 49.1K

184.71%

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 Lezhe: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Lezhe

$308 30.5% 48.3% $288

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Lezhe

$249 24.6% 14.3% $42

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Lezhe

$87 8.6% 65.8% $168

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Lezhe

$93 9.2% 51.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Lezhe

$156 15.5% 1.3% $2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Lezhe

$73 7.2% 9.7% $6.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Lezhe

$44 4.3% 13.9% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $482 in Lezhe. 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 185% 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 $37.00 in Lezhe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $249 – making Lezhe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇱 Lezhe

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

11:04 11:04 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

65,633

💱 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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Sofia Lezhe 320 km

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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 Lezhe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,011 in Lezhe – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,516 in Lezhe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 17% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $37.00 in Lezhe. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Lezhe, where all-in costs run around $1,011, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Lezhe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,011 in Lezhe to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Lezhe. 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.