Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Siofok

For one person, living is cheaper in Siofok: $1,248 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Siofok
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Siofok Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Siofok

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,248

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Siofok

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,248 in Siofok.

Sofia $1,594
Siofok $1,248

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,478 in Sofia versus $2,018 in Siofok.

Sofia $2,478
Siofok $2,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,361 in Sofia versus $2,788 in Siofok.

Sofia $3,361
Siofok $2,788

Living in Sofia is roughly 28% more expensive than in Siofok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Siofok is 8% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$21.24 Ft 6,863

-20.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$52.9 Ft 17.1K

24.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.49 Ft 2,420

51.13%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.56 Ft 827

33.98%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.38 Ft 769

1.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.71 Ft 552

8.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.32 Ft 750

59.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.80 Ft 1,227

20.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.32 Ft 426

53.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.31 Ft 423

19.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.09 Ft 676

11.48%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.63 Ft 1,174

20.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.82 Ft 2,849

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.60 Ft 1,809

57.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.42 Ft 5,305

6.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.68 Ft 544

27.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.07 Ft 670

-4.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.09 Ft 674

-7.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.90 Ft 937

46.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.03 Ft 654

-48.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.27 Ft 412

-33.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.13 Ft 364

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.60 Ft 195

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.29 Ft 2,356

-42.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.63 Ft 1,497

61.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.07 Ft 345

7.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.42 Ft 457

30.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.23 Ft 399

-29.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$26.71 Ft 8,631

6.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.08 Ft 995

-45.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.47 Ft 475

-36.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.49 Ft 5,650

-12.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.98 Ft 641

-14.65%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$29.4K Ft 9.5M

1.25%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-21.86%

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

$156 BGN 272

$152 Ft 49.2K

2.51%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$23.44 Ft 7,573

-8.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.84 Ft 6,732

-26.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$47.06 Ft 15.2K

-2.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.74 Ft 6,053

48.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.98 Ft 2,902

13.36%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$248 Ft 80.1K

212.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,616 Ft 2.5M

68.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$88.1 Ft 28.5K

2.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$32.17 Ft 10.4K

28.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$86.3 Ft 27.9K

21.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$104 Ft 33.5K

2.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$379 Ft 122.5K

106.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$312 Ft 100.8K

91.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$753 Ft 243.2K

101.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$657 Ft 212.3K

56.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,300 Ft 1.1M

31.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,674 Ft 863.8K

18.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,115 Ft 360.2K

55.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-67.89%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Siofok: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Siofok

$312 25% 47.7% $285

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Siofok

$234 18.8% 19.3% $56

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Siofok

$259 20.7% 1.5% $3.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Siofok

$197 15.7% 1.9% $3.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Siofok

$140 11.2% 9.6% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Siofok

$65 5.2% 2.1% $1.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Siofok

$42 3.4% 9.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $379 in Siofok. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 56% 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: $66.0 in Sofia vs $53.0 in Siofok for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $234 per month, with Siofok cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Siofok

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

22:09 10:09 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

24,021

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Siofok 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Siofok

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 Siofok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Siofok is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and leisure. The 28% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 56% 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: $783 in Sofia versus $379 in Siofok. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,248 in Siofok – a 28% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Siofok runs roughly 7% less than in Sofia. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,248 in Siofok versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Siofok but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Siofok the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Siofok is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Sofia, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Siofok 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 Siofok gentler on the wallet – expenses run 28% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.