Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Novi Sad

For one person, living is cheaper in Novi Sad: $1,374 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 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
67

Cost of Living Index in Novi Sad
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Novi Sad Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Novi Sad

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,374

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Novi Sad

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,374 in Novi Sad.

Sofia $1,594
Novi Sad $1,374

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,104 in Novi Sad.

Sofia $2,478
Novi Sad $2,104

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,833 in Novi Sad.

Sofia $3,361
Novi Sad $2,833

Living in Sofia is roughly 16% more expensive than in Novi Sad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Novi Sad 2% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.79 RSD 1,020

72.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$50.2 RSD 5,232

31.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.82 RSD 1,232

-4.23%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.68 RSD 280

27.99%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.31 RSD 241

4.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.90 RSD 198

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.90 RSD 303

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.73 RSD 388

22.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.37 RSD 143

47.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.01 RSD 105

54.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.63 RSD 274

-11.41%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.66 RSD 278

63.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$13.53 RSD 1,410

-13.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.27 RSD 757

21.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.26 RSD 1,486

22.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.68 RSD 175

27.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.91 RSD 199

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.61 RSD 167

19.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.53 RSD 264

67.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.05 RSD 110

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.64 RSD 67.2

32.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.01 RSD 105

13.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.65 RSD 68.3

36.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.75 RSD 496

-11.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.42 RSD 773

0.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.87 RSD 91.1

32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.29 RSD 238

-19.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.93 RSD 97.0

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$24.13 RSD 2,516

18.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.34 RSD 244

-28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.92 RSD 96.2

2.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.60 RSD 1,105

44.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.90 RSD 198

-11.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.5K RSD 3.2M

-2.14%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$26.0K RSD 2.7M

0.45%

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

$156 BGN 272

$222 RSD 23.1K

-29.56%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.42 RSD 2,129

5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$33.10 RSD 3,450

-53.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$36.99 RSD 3,856

24.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$11.28 RSD 1,176

147.52%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.39 RSD 771

37.75%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$371 RSD 38.7K

108.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,484 RSD 780.2K

71.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$118 RSD 12.3K

-23.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$44.22 RSD 4,610

-6.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$137 RSD 14.3K

-23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$127 RSD 13.3K

-16.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$489 RSD 51.0K

59.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$392 RSD 40.8K

52.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$951 RSD 99.2K

59.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$739 RSD 77.0K

39.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,442 RSD 358.9K

26.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,629 RSD 274.1K

20.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,218 RSD 127.0K

42.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.21

-44.53%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novi Sad: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Novi Sad

$392 28.5% 34.4% $205

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Novi Sad

$244 17.7% 16.1% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Novi Sad

$185 13.5% 27.5% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Novi Sad

$275 20% 42.6% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Novi Sad

$192 14% 24.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Novi Sad

$52 3.8% 22.1% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Novi Sad

$35 2.5% 9.3% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $489 in Novi Sad. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 42% 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 $50.0 in Novi Sad for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $244 per month, with Novi Sad cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇸 Novi Sad

🕒 Local time

19:44 7:44 PM

18:44 6:44 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

260,438

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Novi Sad 400 km

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Sofia
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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 Novi Sad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Novi Sad is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 16% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 42% 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 $489 in Novi Sad. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Novi Sad – a meal for two runs $50.0 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,374 in Novi Sad – a 16% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,374 in Novi Sad versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Novi Sad but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Novi Sad the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Novi Sad 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 Novi Sad 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 Novi Sad gentler on the wallet – expenses run 16% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.