Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Maglaj

For one person, living is cheaper in Maglaj: $910 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Maglaj
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Maglaj Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Maglaj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$910

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Maglaj

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $910 in Maglaj, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Maglaj $910

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,371 in Maglaj, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Maglaj $1,371

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,833 in Maglaj, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Maglaj $1,833

Sofia costs about 75% more than Maglaj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Maglaj is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$6.85 BAM 11.94

146.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.43 BAM 65.3

75.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$6.69 BAM 11.66

69.21%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$1.63 BAM 2.85

110.43%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$1.82 BAM 3.17

32.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.23 BAM 2.14

50.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$2.23 BAM 3.90

65.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$2.26 BAM 3.95

102.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.46 BAM 2.54

38.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$0.92 BAM 1.61

69.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$1.74 BAM 3.04

33.91%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$2.81 BAM 4.90

55.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$7.54 BAM 13.14

55.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$6.72 BAM 11.72

31.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$9.84 BAM 17.16

77.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.15 BAM 2.01

86.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$1.67 BAM 2.91

18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.69 BAM 2.94

14.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$1.67 BAM 2.92

153.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.16 BAM 2.03

-10.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.12 BAM 1.95

-24.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.01 BAM 1.76

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.83 BAM 1.44

7.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$3.50 BAM 6.11

20.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$6.74 BAM 11.76

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.17 BAM 2.04

-1.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$1.15 BAM 2.01

60.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.40 BAM 2.43

-37.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.68 BAM 2.93

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.11 BAM 1.94

-15.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$10.37 BAM 18.08

48.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.59 BAM 2.77

6.29%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$30.4K BAM 53.0K

-1.92%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$21.8K BAM 38.1K

19.73%

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

$156 BGN 273

$91.9 BAM 160

69.91%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$18.32 BAM 31.94

17.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$28.27 BAM 49.30

-46.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$32.60 BAM 56.9

41.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$4.67 BAM 8.14

117.99%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$135 BAM 236

471.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$3,932 BAM 6,857

225.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$57.2 BAM 99.8

57.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$31.72 BAM 55.3

30.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$95.1 BAM 166

10.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$129 BAM 226

-17.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$338 BAM 590

131.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$253 BAM 442

135.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$512 BAM 892

196.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$356 BAM 620

189.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$2,429 BAM 4,235

79.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$1,764 BAM 3,076

80.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$741 BAM 1,292

134.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.3

-32.79%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Maglaj: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Maglaj

$253 27.8% 57.6% $344

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Maglaj

$200 22% 31.2% $91

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Maglaj

$122 13.5% 52% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Maglaj

$138 15.2% 28.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Maglaj

$141 15.5% 8.6% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Maglaj

$42 4.6% 36.9% $25

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Maglaj

$13 * 1.4% 66.6% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $338 in Maglaj. 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 134% 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 Maglaj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $200 – making Maglaj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇦 Maglaj

🕒 Local time

16:13 4:13 PM

15:13 3:13 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

7,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BAM = 0.573 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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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 Maglaj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $910 in Maglaj – roughly 75% 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 $1,365 in Maglaj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

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

Groceries cost about 45% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Maglaj, where all-in costs run around $910, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Maglaj 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 $910 in Maglaj 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 Maglaj. 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.