Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Pacov

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $1,783 in Pacov, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Pacov
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Pacov Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Pacov

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,783

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Pacov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,783 in Pacov.

Sofia $1,600
Pacov $1,783

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $2,596 in Pacov.

Sofia $2,490
Pacov $2,596

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $3,410 in Pacov.

Sofia $3,380
Pacov $3,410

Living in Sofia costs roughly 10% less than in Pacov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Sofia 18% above, Pacov 32% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$8.98 Kč 194

88.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$45.60 Kč 986

49.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$12.70 Kč 275

-8.50%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.83 Kč 61.3

21.20%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$2.67 Kč 57.7

-12.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.40 Kč 30.28

30.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.38 Kč 29.85

147.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$5.22 Kč 113

-14.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.63 Kč 35.28

20.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.39 Kč 30.15

7.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.16 Kč 68.4

-26.27%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$5.40 Kč 117

-18.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$12.15 Kč 263

-5.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$9.15 Kč 198

-2.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$20.94 Kč 453

-16.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.33 Kč 28.77

61.65%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.67 Kč 57.8

-22.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.82 Kč 82.6

-49.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$3.48 Kč 75.3

22.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.01 Kč 21.91

1.98%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$2.02 Kč 43.78

-56.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.25 Kč 26.95

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.71 Kč 15.28

25.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$3.75 Kč 81.0

12.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$7.02 Kč 152

12.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$0.78 Kč 16.85

51.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.69 Kč 36.64

11.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.12 Kč 24.18

-16.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$24.70 Kč 534

14.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.34 Kč 50.5

-28.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.95 Kč 20.45

1.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$27.61 Kč 597

-44.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.80 Kč 38.91

-1.67%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$31.4K Kč 678.2K

-2.77%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$29.5K Kč 638.5K

-15.07%

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

$157 BGN 273

$275 Kč 5,956

-42.97%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$22.08 Kč 478

-4.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$19.18 Kč 415

-20.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$97.3 Kč 2,104

-52.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$16.90 Kč 366

66.21%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$13.25 Kč 287

-24.23%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$478 Kč 10.3K

62.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$10.1K Kč 218.9K

23.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$113 Kč 2,449

-22.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$74.7 Kč 1,616

-44.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$172 Kč 3,724

-38.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$121 Kč 2,609

-11.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$721 Kč 15.6K

6.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$605 Kč 13.1K

-0.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,183 Kč 25.6K

32.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$935 Kč 20.2K

10.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$4,580 Kč 99.1K

-0.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$4,506 Kč 97.4K

-29.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,096 Kč 23.7K

58.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.85

-63.18%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Pacov: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Pacov

$605 34% 0.5% $3.1

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Pacov

$307 17.2% 5.4% $16

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Pacov

$178 10% 30.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Pacov

$317 17.8% 63.7% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Pacov

$216 12.1% 40.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Pacov

$124 6.9% 86.3% $57

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Pacov

$36 2% 6% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $721 in Pacov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 59% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68.0 in Sofia vs $46.00 in Pacov. Groceries flip the comparison at $291 vs $307, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇿 Pacov

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

4,700

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 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 20, 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 21.63 CZK (100 CZK = 4.62 USD). 1 EUR = 24.31 CZK (100 CZK = 4.11 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Pacov 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Pacov

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 Pacov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia wins on cost – living expenses run 11% lower than in Pacov. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sofia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 59% 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: $770 in Sofia versus $721 in Pacov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 15% less than in Pacov. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $478 in Pacov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,783 in Pacov, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Pacov. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sofia delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,600 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sofia hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Pacov 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 Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 11% less than in Pacov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.