Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Neum

For one person, living is cheaper in Neum: $955 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Neum
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Neum Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Neum

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Neum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $955 in Neum.

Sofia $1,594
Neum $955

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,410 in Neum.

Sofia $2,478
Neum $1,410

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $1,866 in Neum.

Sofia $3,361
Neum $1,866

Living in Sofia is roughly 67% more expensive than in Neum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Neum is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$5.29 BAM 9.23

218.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$30.98 BAM 54.1

112.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$5.67 BAM 9.90

99.65%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$1.90 BAM 3.32

80.53%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$1.90 BAM 3.32

26.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.18 BAM 2.07

56.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$2.52 BAM 4.40

46.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$2.19 BAM 3.82

109.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.12 BAM 1.96

80.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$0.95 BAM 1.65

64.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.07 BAM 3.61

12.56%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$2.57 BAM 4.48

69.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$7.88 BAM 13.75

49.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$7.37 BAM 12.86

19.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$10.39 BAM 18.13

68.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.12 BAM 1.96

91.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$1.62 BAM 2.83

22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.36 BAM 2.37

41.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$1.20 BAM 2.09

253.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$0.98 BAM 1.71

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.99 BAM 1.72

-14.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$0.76 BAM 1.32

51.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.71 BAM 1.24

25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$3.93 BAM 6.86

7.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$3.99 BAM 6.96

86.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$0.78 BAM 1.36

47.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$0.89 BAM 1.55

107.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.27 BAM 2.21

-31.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$57.4 BAM 100

-50.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.74 BAM 3.04

-3.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$0.60 BAM 1.04

56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$5.79 BAM 10.10

165.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.55 BAM 2.70

9.03%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$29.9K BAM 52.1K

-0.21%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$21.3K BAM 37.2K

22.56%

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

$156 BGN 273

$135 BAM 236

15.26%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$17.64 BAM 30.79

22.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$25.86 BAM 45.14

-41.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$32.47 BAM 56.7

41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$11.52 BAM 20.11

142.36%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$5.74 BAM 10.01

77.35%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$198 BAM 345

291.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$2,317 BAM 4,044

452.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$59.4 BAM 104

51.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$33.42 BAM 58.3

23.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$85.8 BAM 150

22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$83.3 BAM 145

28.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$345 BAM 602

126.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$248 BAM 432

141.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$506 BAM 883

199.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$355 BAM 620

190.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$2,410 BAM 4,206

80.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$1,786 BAM 3,117

77.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$847 BAM 1,479

104.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.9

-0.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Neum: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Neum

$248 25.9% 58.5% $349

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Neum

$188 19.7% 35.4% $103

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Neum

$112 11.7% 56.2% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Neum

$179 18.7% 7.2% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Neum

$118 12.4% 23.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Neum

$44 4.6% 33.9% $23

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Neum

$67 7% 75.1% $29

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $345 in Neum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 105% 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 $31.00 in Neum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $188 per month, with Neum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇦 Neum

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,200

💱 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 = 0.511 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 14, 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BAM (1 BAM = 0.573 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BAM (1 BAM = 0.511 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 Neum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Neum differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $955 including rent). Neum is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 105% 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 $345 in Neum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Neum runs roughly 101% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $774 in Sofia versus $198 in Neum. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $955 in Neum versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Neum but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Neum the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Neum 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 Neum gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.