Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Silistra

For one person, living is cheaper in Silistra: $858 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Silistra
Learn more

Silistra Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Silistra

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$858

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Silistra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $858 in Silistra.

Sofia $1,600
Silistra $858

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,223 in Silistra.

Sofia $2,490
Silistra $1,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,589 in Silistra.

Sofia $3,380
Silistra $1,589

Living in Sofia is roughly 87% more expensive than in Silistra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Silistra is 37% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$10.13 BGN 17.62

67.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$24.96 BGN 43.43

173.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$8.75 BGN 15.22

32.80%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.66 BGN 2.89

106.63%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.11 BGN 1.93

110.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.79 BGN 1.38

131.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.83 BGN 3.19

86.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.00 BGN 3.48

122.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.71 BGN 2.98

15.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.81 BGN 1.42

83.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.49 BGN 2.59

56.38%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.35 BGN 4.10

87.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$9.41 BGN 16.37

22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$6.36 BGN 11.07

39.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$8.31 BGN 14.46

110.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.25 BGN 2.17

72.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.71 BGN 2.97

21.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.68 BGN 2.92

14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.97 BGN 3.42

115.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.96 BGN 1.66

7.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.71 BGN 1.23

23.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.56 BGN 0.97

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.67 BGN 1.17

32.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$3.64 BGN 6.33

16.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$5.16 BGN 8.98

52.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.08 BGN 1.87

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.69 BGN 2.94

11.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.83 BGN 1.44

12.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$23.87 BGN 41.54

18.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.16 BGN 2.03

44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.65 BGN 1.13

47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$5.61 BGN 9.76

173.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.42 BGN 2.47

24.65%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$30.3K BGN 52.6K

0.78%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$21.8K BGN 37.9K

15.11%

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

$157 BGN 273

$92.5 BGN 161

69.74%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$14.56 BGN 25.33

45.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$12.13 BGN 21.10

26.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$31.10 BGN 54.1

49.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$17.20 BGN 29.93

63.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$6.66 BGN 11.58

50.75%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$232 BGN 404

233.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$2,274 BGN 3,958

451.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$30.97 BGN 53.9

184.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$19.44 BGN 33.83

112.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$63.3 BGN 110

68.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$52.0 BGN 90.5

104.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$332 BGN 578

131.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$248 BGN 431

143.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$333 BGN 580

369.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$243 BGN 423

326.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,304 BGN 2,268

250.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,082 BGN 1,883

192.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$720 BGN 1,252

142.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.99

-3.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Silistra: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Silistra

$248 28.9% 58.9% $355

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Silistra

$192 22.4% 33.9% $99

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Silistra

$148 17.3% 41.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Silistra

$119 13.9% 38.4% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Silistra

$75 8.7% 51.6% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Silistra

$44 5.2% 33.2% $22

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Silistra

$32 3.7% 18% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $332 in Silistra. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 142% 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: $68.0 in Sofia vs $25.00 in Silistra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $192 per month, with Silistra cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Silistra

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

37,923

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Silistra 360 km

From you

Sofia
Silistra

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 Silistra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Silistra differ by about 87% in total monthly costs ($1,600 vs $858 including rent). Silistra is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 142% 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: $770 in Sofia versus $332 in Silistra. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Silistra – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $68.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $858 in Silistra versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Silistra but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Silistra 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 Silistra 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 Silistra gentler on the wallet – expenses run 87% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.