Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Osijek

For one person, living is cheaper in Osijek: $1,437 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Osijek
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Osijek Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Osijek

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,437

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Osijek

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,609 in Sofia versus $1,437 in Osijek.

Sofia $1,609
Osijek $1,437

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,495 in Sofia versus $2,217 in Osijek.

Sofia $2,495
Osijek $2,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,381 in Sofia versus $2,998 in Osijek.

Sofia $3,381
Osijek $2,998

Living in Sofia is roughly 12% more expensive than in Osijek, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Osijek 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.70

$11.21 €10.07

50.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 117

$56.3 €50.5

18.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.40

$9.05 €8.13

28.07%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.20

$2.67 €2.40

31.84%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.25

$3.40 €3.06

-28.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.11

$2.87 €2.57

-38.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.48

$5.53 €4.97

-33.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.70

$5.50 €4.94

-20.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.44

$1.14 €1.02

71.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.65

$1.48 €1.33

2.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.87

$2.78 €2.50

-20.86%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.75

$3.46 €3.11

27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.70

$11.63 €10.45

1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.28

$8.66 €7.78

0.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.57

$11.54 €10.36

50.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.75

$1.73 €1.56

23.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.61

$1.64 €1.47

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.40

$1.82 €1.64

6.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.34

$2.62 €2.36

59.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

$1.32 €1.19

-18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.60

$1.17 €1.05

-22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.08

$1.18 €1.06

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$1.18 €1.06

-28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.36

$5.95 €5.35

-29.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.51

$8.38 €7.53

-8.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$1.61 €1.44

-27.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$2.01 €1.80

-10.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.74 €1.56

-50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

$37.15 €33.37

-21.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.96

$2.19 €1.97

-23.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.54

$1.09 €0.98

-20.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.74

$14.79 €13.28

6.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.04

$1.89 €1.70

-8.47%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

$27.3K €24.5K

8.56%

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

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

$24.9K €22.3K

2.92%

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

$161 BGN 283

$193 €174

-16.79%

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

$21.08 BGN 37.10

$21.77 €19.56

-3.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.73

$44.37 €39.85

-65.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 85.1

$43.77 €39.32

10.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

$8.78 €7.88

212.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.88

$9.90 €8.89

2.63%

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

$785 BGN 1,382

$414 €372

89.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$4,095 €3,679

211.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 158

$104 €93.2

-13.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.7

$38.98 €35.01

5.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 189

$97.7 €87.8

10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 192

$109 €98.4

-0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,389

$652 €585

21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,063

$435 €391

38.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,670

$1,189 €1,068

27.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,825

$835 €750

24.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,756

$2,761 €2,480

59.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,521

$2,173 €1,952

44.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

$1,343 €1,206

29.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.67

-21.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Osijek: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Osijek

$435 30.3% 28% $169

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Osijek

$257 17.9% 10.8% $31

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Osijek

$213 14.8% 16.9% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Osijek

$259 18.1% 31.6% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Osijek

$157 11% 0.6% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Osijek

$64 4.4% 7.4% $5.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Osijek

$52 3.6% 34.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Sofia and $652 in Osijek. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 29% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Sofia vs $56 in Osijek for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $257 per month, with Osijek cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇷 Osijek

🕒 Local time

22:26 10:26 PM

21:26 9:26 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

75,535

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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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 Osijek: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Osijek is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 29% 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: $789 in Sofia versus $652 in Osijek. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Osijek – a meal for two runs $56 versus $66 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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 Osijek are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Osijek wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.