Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ostrava

For one person, living is cheaper in Ostrava: $1,464 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Ostrava
Learn more

Ostrava Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Ostrava

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ostrava

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,464 in Ostrava, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Ostrava $1,464

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,215 in Ostrava, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Ostrava $2,215

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,965 in Ostrava, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Ostrava $2,965

Sofia costs about 9% more than Ostrava, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Ostrava sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Ostrava by 9%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$10.41 Kč 226

64.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$48.26 Kč 1,049

38.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$8.37 Kč 182

40.62%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$3.21 Kč 69.8

6.54%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.86 Kč 40.49

30.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.54 Kč 33.41

20.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.34 Kč 50.8

42.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$2.26 Kč 49.17

100.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.09 Kč 23.68

76.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.59 Kč 34.64

-5.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.52 Kč 54.9

-12.30%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.46 Kč 75.2

27.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$11.88 Kč 258

-2.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$10.65 Kč 231

-17.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$12.85 Kč 279

32.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.70 Kč 36.89

27.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.81 Kč 39.41

12.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.24 Kč 48.73

-17.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.66 Kč 79.5

17.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.05 Kč 22.76

-1.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.08 Kč 23.46

-13.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.54 Kč 33.42

-22.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.77 Kč 16.77

19.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.65 Kč 166

-43.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$7.00 Kč 152

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$0.94 Kč 20.47

25.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.03 Kč 44.13

-7.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.37 Kč 29.72

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$24.98 Kč 543

12.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.35 Kč 51.0

-25.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.62 Kč 35.24

-40.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$22.78 Kč 495

-31.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.83 Kč 39.67

-2.19%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$31.6K Kč 686.6K

-5.10%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$29.6K Kč 642.5K

-10.82%

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

$156 BGN 273

$221 Kč 4,804

-29.45%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$23.18 Kč 504

-8.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$17.12 Kč 372

-8.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$55.4 Kč 1,204

-15.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$19.30 Kč 419

43.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$9.27 Kč 202

8.09%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$420 Kč 9,129

82.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$9,554 Kč 207.6K

33.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$75.2 Kč 1,634

19.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$42.28 Kč 919

-3.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$100.0 Kč 2,172

6.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$112 Kč 2,428

-6.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$689 Kč 15.0K

15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$531 Kč 11.5K

14.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,262 Kč 27.4K

23.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$939 Kč 20.4K

12.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,212 Kč 69.8K

35.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,330 Kč 50.6K

39.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,755 Kč 38.1K

-0.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

5.06

-42.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Ostrava: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Ostrava

$531 35.4% 12.5% $76

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Ostrava

$268 17.9% 6.6% $19

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Ostrava

$177 11.8% 31% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Ostrava

$261 17.4% 35.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Ostrava

$148 9.9% 3.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ostrava

$74 4.9% 10.7% $7.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ostrava

$41 2.7% 7.2% $2.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $689 in Ostrava. 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 1% higher in Ostrava, 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $48.00 in Ostrava. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $268 – making Ostrava the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇿 Ostrava

🕒 Local time

08:18 8:18 AM

07:18 7:18 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

304,880

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CZK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.37 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Ostrava 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ostrava

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 Ostrava: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 9% more than Ostrava, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $2,196 in Ostrava. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 7% 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 mid-range dinner for two costs $67.0 in Sofia and $48.00 in Ostrava. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ostrava, where all-in costs run around $1,464, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Ostrava it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ostrava costs $1,464 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Ostrava. 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.