Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Plovdiv

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,194 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Plovdiv $1,194

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,842 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Plovdiv $1,842

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,489 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Plovdiv $2,489

Sofia costs about 34% more than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Plovdiv is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.28 BGN 16.15

81.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$44.41 BGN 77.3

48.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.74 BGN 16.95

16.22%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.87 BGN 4.99

19.51%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.73 BGN 3.02

39.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.51 BGN 2.63

22.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.54 BGN 4.42

45.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.24 BGN 7.38

8.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.76 BGN 3.07

14.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.18 BGN 2.05

32.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.17 BGN 3.78

7.37%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.76 BGN 6.53

15.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$11.63 BGN 20.24

1.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.43 BGN 14.67

4.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.18 BGN 24.67

23.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.64 BGN 2.85

31.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.80 BGN 3.12

10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.55 BGN 4.44

66.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.08 BGN 1.87

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-4.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.72 BGN 1.25

23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.02 BGN 7.00

4.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.11 BGN 10.63

22.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.13 BGN 1.97

1.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-11.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.55 BGN 0.96

58.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$28.22 BGN 49.10

1.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.28 BGN 2.22

31.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.60 BGN 1.05

56.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.34 BGN 18.00

48.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-2.87%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

-1.75%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

7.25%

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

$156 BGN 272

$112 BGN 195

39.18%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$18.46 BGN 32.12

16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$15.48 BGN 26.94

-1.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.07 BGN 71.5

12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.27 BGN 35.26

37.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.04 BGN 15.73

12.61%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$522 BGN 907

48.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,424 BGN 9,438

136.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$69.1 BGN 120

30.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$41.56 BGN 72.3

-0.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$95.5 BGN 166

10.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$105 BGN 182

1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$537 BGN 935

45.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$389 BGN 677

53.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$871 BGN 1,516

74.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$642 BGN 1,117

60.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,230 BGN 3,880

95.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,548 BGN 2,693

105.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,156 BGN 2,012

50.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.1

-6.77%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Plovdiv

$389 32.6% 34.8% $208

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Plovdiv

$253 21.2% 12.8% $37

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Plovdiv

$172 14.4% 32.5% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Plovdiv

$146 12.2% 24.3% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Plovdiv

$140 11.7% 9.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Plovdiv

$59 5% 11% $7.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Plovdiv

$35 2.9% 9.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $537 in Plovdiv. 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 50% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $44.00 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $253 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

368,983

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sofia Plovdiv 130 km

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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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,194 in Plovdiv – roughly 34% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,791 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 1% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $522 in Plovdiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Plovdiv, where all-in costs run around $1,194, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Plovdiv it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,194 in Plovdiv to $1,594 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Plovdiv. 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.