Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Skawina

For one person, living is cheaper in Skawina: $1,487 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Skawina
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Skawina Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Skawina

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Skawina

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,487 in Skawina, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Skawina $1,487

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,073 in Skawina, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Skawina $2,073

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,658 in Skawina, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Skawina $2,658

Sofia costs about 7% more than Skawina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.43 zł 44.39

47.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$37.52 zł 146

75.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.58 zł 33.34

31.93%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.96 zł 11.52

15.88%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.27 zł 8.83

6.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.49 zł 5.78

24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.53 zł 13.72

4.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.24 zł 16.45

8.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.07 zł 4.14

88.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.38 zł 5.38

13.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.13 zł 4.40

106.19%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.75 zł 14.58

16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.82 zł 34.28

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.43 zł 24.99

37.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.68 zł 45.38

49.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.99 zł 3.84

117.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.72 zł 6.69

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.56 zł 6.06

23.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.37 zł 9.22

78.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.65 zł 2.53

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.90 zł 3.49

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.25 zł 4.87

-8.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.69 zł 2.69

28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.47 zł 21.25

-23.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.80 zł 26.41

9.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.22 zł 4.76

-5.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.49 zł 5.80

24.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.09 zł 4.23

-20.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$28.99 zł 113

-1.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.30 zł 8.96

-26.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.03 zł 4.01

-8.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$12.19 zł 47.35

25.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.54 zł 5.97

9.74%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$31.0K zł 120.4K

-3.81%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$28.7K zł 111.6K

-8.98%

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

$156 BGN 272

$272 zł 1,056

-42.60%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$10.22 zł 39.69

110.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$14.76 zł 57.4

3.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.60 zł 146

22.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.50 zł 79.6

36.20%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.73 zł 30.04

31.69%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$266 zł 1,035

190.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$8,119 zł 31.5K

57.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$71.9 zł 279

25.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$40.96 zł 159

0.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$76.0 zł 295

38.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$104 zł 402

3.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$591 zł 2,298

32.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$560 zł 2,176

6.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$931 zł 3,616

62.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$778 zł 3,021

32.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,912 zł 11.3K

49.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,238 zł 8,695

41.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.62

-56.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Skawina: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Skawina

$560 37.7% 6.1% $37

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Skawina

$211 14.2% 27.4% $80

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Skawina

$194 13% 23.9% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Skawina

$297 20% 53.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Skawina

$132 8.9% 14.8% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Skawina

$53 3.6% 20.2% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Skawina

$41 2.7% 6.3% $2.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $591 in Skawina. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $38.00 in Skawina. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $211 – making Skawina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Skawina

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

24,302

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Skawina 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Skawina

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 Skawina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 7% more than Skawina, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,231 in Skawina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 38% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Skawina, where all-in costs run around $1,487, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Skawina it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Skawina costs $1,487 versus $1,594 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 Skawina. 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.