Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Paks

For one person, living is cheaper in Paks: $1,150 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Paks
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Paks Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Paks

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,150

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Paks

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,150 in Paks.

Sofia $1,594
Paks $1,150

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $1,715 in Paks.

Sofia $2,478
Paks $1,715

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,279 in Paks.

Sofia $3,361
Paks $2,279

Living in Sofia is roughly 39% more expensive than in Paks, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Paks is 15% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$8.65 Ft 2,802

95.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$30.55 Ft 9,901

115.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$7.31 Ft 2,370

54.86%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$0.87 Ft 282

294.25%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$1.20 Ft 389

100.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$0.84 Ft 273

120.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$1.24 Ft 402

198.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$1.94 Ft 628

136.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.16 Ft 378

74.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$0.61 Ft 198

155.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.41 Ft 782

-3.32%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.22 Ft 1,043

35.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$10.96 Ft 3,552

7.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$6.29 Ft 2,039

40.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$13.34 Ft 4,325

30.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.83 Ft 592

17.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.08 Ft 675

-4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.07 Ft 670

-6.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$3.90 Ft 1,264

8.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$0.57 Ft 186

82.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.53 Ft 173

60.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.56 Ft 505

-26.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.50 Ft 163

78.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$7.98 Ft 2,587

-47.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$6.17 Ft 1,999

20.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.22 Ft 397

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$1.64 Ft 533

12.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.25 Ft 405

-30.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$24.22 Ft 7,851

17.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$3.01 Ft 977

-44.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.50 Ft 486

-37.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$18.21 Ft 5,904

-15.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.84 Ft 597

-8.15%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$32.6K Ft 10.6M

-8.71%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$36.5K Ft 11.8M

-28.41%

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

$156 BGN 273

$132 Ft 42.9K

17.99%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$10.23 Ft 3,317

110.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$11.94 Ft 3,871

27.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$47.58 Ft 15.4K

-3.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$21.10 Ft 6,838

32.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$7.47 Ft 2,421

36.28%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$253 Ft 81.9K

206.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$6,945 Ft 2.3M

84.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$89.8 Ft 29.1K

0.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$13.92 Ft 4,513

196.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$97.3 Ft 31.5K

8.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$105 Ft 34.1K

1.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$529 Ft 171.6K

47.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$405 Ft 131.4K

47.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$755 Ft 244.8K

100.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$641 Ft 207.7K

60.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$3,116 Ft 1.0M

39.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,611 Ft 846.3K

21.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$1,276 Ft 413.5K

36.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

8.25

-64.97%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Paks: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Paks

$405 35.2% 32.1% $191

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Paks

$231 20.1% 20.5% $60

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Paks

$120 10.4% 53% $135

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Paks

$154 13.4% 19.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Paks

$138 12% 10.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Paks

$63 5.4% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Paks

$40 3.5% 3.5% $1.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $529 in Paks. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 36% 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 $31.00 in Paks for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $231 per month, with Paks cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Paks

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:45 6:45 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

17,917

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Paks 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Paks

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 Paks: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Paks differ by about 39% in total monthly costs ($1,594 vs $1,150 including rent). Paks is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $529 in Paks. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 26% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Paks – a meal for two runs $31.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,150 in Paks versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Paks but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Paks the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Paks 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 Paks gentler on the wallet – expenses run 39% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.