Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Shkoder

For one person, living is cheaper in Shkoder: $961 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Shkoder
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Shkoder Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Shkoder

🇦🇱 Albania

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Shkoder

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $961 in Shkoder, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Shkoder $961

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,451 in Shkoder, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Shkoder $1,451

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,941 in Shkoder, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Shkoder $1,941

Sofia costs about 66% more than Shkoder, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Shkoder is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$8.94 ALL 720

88.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.60 ALL 3,028

75.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.04 ALL 487

87.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.88 ALL 152

82.45%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.85 ALL 149

30.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.63 ALL 51.1

193.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.82 ALL 147

103.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.06 ALL 247

49.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.89 ALL 152

6.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.00 ALL 80.3

56.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.03 ALL 163

14.78%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.58 ALL 208

68.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.26 ALL 585

61.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.03 ALL 405

75.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$10.79 ALL 869

61.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.63 ALL 131

31.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.22 ALL 178

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.66 ALL 134

16.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.50 ALL 121

182.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.02 ALL 81.9

1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.24 ALL 100

-31.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.18 ALL 95.2

-2.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.72 ALL 57.6

23.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.18 ALL 336

0.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.26 ALL 504

19.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.58 ALL 127

-27.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.75 ALL 141

5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.49 ALL 39.24

77.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$11.09 ALL 893

157.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.60 ALL 290

-53.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.87 ALL 311

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.31 ALL 1,474

-16.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.24 ALL 180

-24.55%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$34.1K ALL 2.7M

-12.72%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$24.5K ALL 2.0M

6.85%

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

$156 BGN 272

$61.2 ALL 4,926

155.16%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.81 ALL 1,354

28.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$17.27 ALL 1,391

-11.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$42.56 ALL 3,427

8.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$12.07 ALL 972

131.32%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.39 ALL 595

37.75%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$93.2 ALL 7,509

730.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$1,846 ALL 148.7K

593.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$49.08 ALL 3,952

83.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$12.44 ALL 1,002

231.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$72.2 ALL 5,818

45.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$144 ALL 11.6K

-26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$476 ALL 38.3K

64.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$305 ALL 24.6K

95.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$485 ALL 39.0K

212.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$407 ALL 32.7K

153.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,855 ALL 149.4K

134.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,213 ALL 97.7K

162.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$572 ALL 46.1K

203.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Shkoder: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Shkoder

$305 31.8% 48.8% $291

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Shkoder

$205 21.3% 29.5% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Shkoder

$137 14.3% 46.1% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Shkoder

$95 9.9% 50.6% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Shkoder

$125 13% 18.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Shkoder

$57 6% 13.7% $9.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Shkoder

$36 3.7% 6.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $476 in Shkoder. 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 203% 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 $38.00 in Shkoder. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $205 – making Shkoder the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇦🇱 Shkoder

🕒 Local time

12:03 12:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

77,075

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Albanian Lek ALL L

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 ALL = 1.24 USD

100 ALL = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ALL, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Albanian Lek exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 80.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.24 USD). 1 EUR = 90.53 ALL (100 ALL = 1.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Shkoder 320 km

From you

Sofia
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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 Shkoder: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $961 in Shkoder – roughly 66% 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 $1,442 in Shkoder. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $38.00 in Shkoder. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $961 in Shkoder. That's a gap of about 66%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shkoder, where all-in costs run around $961, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Shkoder 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 $961 in Shkoder 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 Shkoder. 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.