Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Prague

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,097 in Prague, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Prague outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Prague
Learn more

Prague Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Prague

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$2,097

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Prague

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $2,097 in Prague, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Prague $2,097

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $2,952 in Prague, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Prague $2,952

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $3,807 in Prague, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Prague $3,807

Sofia is about 24% cheaper than Prague, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Prague sit above the global median – Sofia by 19%, Prague by 56%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$10.72 Kč 233

59.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$50.1 Kč 1,089

33.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$10.22 Kč 222

15.17%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$3.69 Kč 80.1

-7.32%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$2.03 Kč 44.01

19.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.43 Kč 30.98

30.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$3.13 Kč 68.1

6.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.16 Kč 68.6

43.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.05 Kč 22.83

82.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.67 Kč 36.29

-9.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$2.38 Kč 51.7

-7.14%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.85 Kč 83.6

14.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$11.74 Kč 255

-1.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$8.51 Kč 185

3.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$13.99 Kč 304

21.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$1.96 Kč 42.58

10.71%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.82 Kč 39.62

12.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.15 Kč 46.64

-14.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$3.79 Kč 82.3

13.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$1.03 Kč 22.49

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.01 Kč 21.98

-7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.56 Kč 33.91

-23.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.79 Kč 17.09

16.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$7.74 Kč 168

-44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$6.90 Kč 150

6.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.24 Kč 26.90

-4.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.98 Kč 43.09

-5.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.77 Kč 38.57

-50.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$21.92 Kč 476

28.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.73 Kč 59.3

-36.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$1.64 Kč 35.61

-41.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$19.09 Kč 415

-18.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.93 Kč 41.98

-7.25%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$30.7K Kč 666.1K

-2.18%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$33.4K Kč 725.6K

-21.02%

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

$156 BGN 273

$288 Kč 6,254

-45.80%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$23.65 Kč 514

-10.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$21.67 Kč 471

-27.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$68.2 Kč 1,483

-31.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$17.64 Kč 383

57.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$13.11 Kč 285

-23.57%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$1,065 Kč 23.1K

-28.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$18.5K Kč 403.0K

-31.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$93.7 Kč 2,036

-4.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$46.70 Kč 1,015

-12.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$114 Kč 2,468

-6.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$129 Kč 2,798

-18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$1,100 Kč 23.9K

-27.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$975 Kč 21.2K

-37.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$2,211 Kč 48.0K

-29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$1,529 Kč 33.2K

-30.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$9,333 Kč 202.8K

-53.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$7,007 Kč 152.3K

-53.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$2,359 Kč 51.3K

-26.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.75

-39.16%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Prague: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Prague

$975 47% 60.6% $368

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Prague

$265 12.8% 7.8% $22

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Prague

$196 9.5% 23.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Prague

$333 16% 72.7% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Prague

$172 8.3% 12.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Prague

$94 4.6% 41.4% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Prague

$40 1.9% 4.7% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $1,100 in Prague. 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 36% higher in Prague, 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $50.0 in Prague. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $265 – making Prague the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇿 Prague

🕒 Local time

04:32 4:32 AM

03:32 3:32 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,251,933 Capital

💱 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 = 24.38 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Prague 1,060 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Prague

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 Prague: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $2,097 in Prague – roughly 32% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $3,145 in Prague. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 28% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Sofia and $1,065 in Prague. 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 Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Prague at $2,097. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Prague 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 $1,589 in Sofia to $2,097 in Prague. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Prague makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.