Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Novy Jicin

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Novy Jicin: $1,594 and $1,646 a month, rent and utilities included.

Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,594
/mo nomad
Novy Jicin
🇨🇿 Czech Republic
$1,646
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Novy Jicin

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,646 in Novy Jicin, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,594
  • Novy Jicin $1,646

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,348 in Novy Jicin, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,478
  • Novy Jicin $2,348

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,049 in Novy Jicin, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,361
  • Novy Jicin $3,049

Sofia is about 3% cheaper than Novy Jicin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Novy Jicin sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Novy Jicin by 22%.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.87 BGN 29.35
$9.29 Kč 201
81.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$65.8 BGN 115
$45.69 Kč 988
44.04%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.32 BGN 19.69
$9.05 Kč 196
25.08%
Cappuccino
$3.43 BGN 5.98
$3.48 Kč 75.2
-1.44%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.41 BGN 4.19
$1.70 Kč 36.74
41.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.22
$1.28 Kč 27.73
44.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 BGN 6.44
$1.77 Kč 38.26
109.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.58 BGN 7.97
$2.73 Kč 59.1
67.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 BGN 3.51
$1.16 Kč 25.04
74.14%
White Bread (500g)
$1.56 BGN 2.72
$1.45 Kč 31.35
7.59%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.33 BGN 4.05
$2.27 Kč 49.20
2.64%
Eggs
$4.36 BGN 7.59
$3.74 Kč 81.0
16.58%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.76 BGN 20.47
$12.65 Kč 274
-7.04%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.83 BGN 15.37
$8.78 Kč 190
0.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.46 BGN 30.38
$16.29 Kč 352
7.18%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.74
$1.79 Kč 38.71
20.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.44
$1.78 Kč 38.55
11.24%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 BGN 3.37
$2.15 Kč 46.56
-10.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.24 BGN 7.37
$3.28 Kč 71.0
29.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.80
$1.03 Kč 22.24
0.97%
Onion (1kg)
$0.85 BGN 1.48
$1.05 Kč 22.74
-19.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.15 BGN 2.00
$1.61 Kč 34.88
-28.57%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 BGN 1.56
$0.76 Kč 16.38
17.11%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.21 BGN 7.33
$7.27 Kč 157
-42.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.46 BGN 12.98
$6.89 Kč 149
8.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 BGN 2.01
$0.39 Kč 8.43
194.87%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 BGN 3.23
$1.62 Kč 35.04
14.20%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 BGN 1.51
$1.09 Kč 23.62
-20.18%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.53 BGN 49.65
$24.30 Kč 526
17.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.68 BGN 2.93
$2.72 Kč 58.9
-38.24%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.94 BGN 1.63
$1.85 Kč 40.08
-49.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$15.35 BGN 26.70
$16.41 Kč 355
-6.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.69 BGN 2.94
$1.95 Kč 42.12
-13.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.8K BGN 51.9K
$31.6K Kč 683.0K
-5.64%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.1K BGN 45.5K
$30.0K Kč 649.7K
-13.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$156 BGN 272
$302 Kč 6,536
-48.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.56 BGN 37.52
$22.25 Kč 481
-3.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.24 BGN 26.51
$19.07 Kč 412
-20.08%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.08 BGN 80.2
$53.9 Kč 1,166
-14.57%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.92 BGN 48.58
$17.15 Kč 371
62.80%
Cinema Ticket
$10.18 BGN 17.72
$6.74 Kč 146
51.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$774 BGN 1,347
$225 Kč 4,870
243.77%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.8K BGN 22.3K
$11.5K Kč 249.4K
11.03%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$89.9 BGN 157
$86.1 Kč 1,862
4.48%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$41.29 BGN 71.8
$37.36 Kč 808
10.52%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$105 BGN 183
$103 Kč 2,234
1.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 186
$118 Kč 2,557
-9.76%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$783 BGN 1,362
$711 Kč 15.4K
10.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$597 BGN 1,038
$605 Kč 13.1K
-1.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,516 BGN 2,638
$1,188 Kč 25.7K
27.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,030 BGN 1,792
$905 Kč 19.6K
13.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,350 BGN 7,568
$4,520 Kč 97.8K
-3.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,177 BGN 5,528
$3,500 Kč 75.7K
-9.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Novy Jicin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,735 BGN 3,019
$1,615 Kč 34.9K
7.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
4.67
-38.12%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Novy Jicin: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$597
Novy Jicin
$605 1.3% $7.8
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$290
Novy Jicin
$265 8.7% $25
Eating Out
Sofia
$255
Novy Jicin
$169 33.5% $85
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$193
Novy Jicin
$344 78.1% $151
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$154
Novy Jicin
$155 0.6% $0.9
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$66
Novy Jicin
$67 1.5% $1
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Novy Jicin
$41 5.9% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $711 in Novy Jicin. 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 7% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $46.00 in Novy Jicin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $265 – making Novy Jicin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇨🇿 Novy Jicin
🕒 Local time
21:27 9:27 PM
20:27 8:27 PM
1 h behind Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
24,295
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Novy Jicin 870 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Novy Jicin

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 Novy Jicin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Novy Jicin cheaper than Sofia?
Yes – Novy Jicin is pricier by about 3%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,469 in Novy Jicin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper public transport?
Public transport costs about 17% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $225 in Novy Jicin. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget for living in Sofia or in Novy Jicin?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Novy Jicin at $1,646. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Novy Jicin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Sofia or Novy Jicin more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Sofia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Novy Jicin?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Novy Jicin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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