Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Poprad

For one person, living is cheaper in Poprad: $1,495 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Poprad
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Poprad Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Poprad

🇸🇰 Slovakia

$1,495

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Poprad

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,495 in Poprad, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Poprad $1,495

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $2,236 in Poprad, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Poprad $2,236

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,977 in Poprad, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Poprad $2,977

Sofia costs about 7% more than Poprad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Poprad sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Poprad by 10%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$11.27 €10.02

50.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$57.0 €50.7

19.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$9.93 €8.83

17.02%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.15 €2.80

8.89%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$2.20 €1.96

6.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.81 €1.61

1.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.31 €2.05

47.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$3.01 €2.67

47.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$0.98 €0.87

101.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.74 €1.55

-14.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.17 €1.93

7.37%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$4.04 €3.60

9.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$15.01 €13.35

-23.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$7.17 €6.38

23.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$14.03 €12.48

24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.13 €1.90

0.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.89 €1.68

9.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.18 €1.94

-11.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$3.77 €3.35

12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.37 €1.22

-24.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.52 €1.35

-42.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.62 €1.44

-26.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.82 €0.73

8.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$6.04 €5.38

-29.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$7.07 €6.29

11.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.04 €0.92

13.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.63 €1.45

15.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.71 €1.52

-45.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$34.12 €30.35

-17.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.87 €1.66

-10.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.67 €1.49

-42.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$33.66 €29.94

-54.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.78 €1.58

-0.56%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$25.8K €22.9K

18.28%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$26.4K €23.5K

-5.09%

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

$157 BGN 273

$240 €214

-34.57%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$22.78 €20.26

-7.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$19.30 €17.17

-20.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$41.01 €36.48

13.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$20.42 €18.16

37.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$11.16 €9.92

-10.04%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$478 €425

62.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$18.4K €16.3K

-31.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$70.5 €62.7

24.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$40.20 €35.76

2.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$78.5 €69.9

35.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$110 €97.8

-3.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$779 €693

-1.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$501 €446

20.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,019 €906

53.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$814 €724

27.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$3,432 €3,052

33.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$2,520 €2,242

25.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,009 €897

72.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.51

-17.66%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Poprad: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Poprad

$501 33.5% 16.7% $101

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Poprad

$271 18.1% 7% $20

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Poprad

$191 12.8% 24.8% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Poprad

$282 18.9% 45.8% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Poprad

$135 9% 12.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Poprad

$63 4.2% 4.7% $3.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Poprad

$51 3.4% 32.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $779 in Poprad. 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 73% 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 $68.0 in Sofia versus $57.0 in Poprad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $271 – making Poprad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇸🇰 Poprad

🕒 Local time

18:10 6:10 PM

17:10 5:10 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

54,931

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Poprad 740 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Poprad

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 Poprad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 7% more than Poprad, 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 $2,400 per month in Sofia and $2,242 in Poprad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,600 in Sofia and $1,495 in Poprad. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 21% less in Poprad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Poprad, where all-in costs run around $1,495, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Poprad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Poprad costs $1,495 versus $1,600 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 Poprad. 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.