Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $779 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sliven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $779 in Sliven.

Sofia $1,600
Sliven $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,232 in Sliven.

Sofia $2,490
Sliven $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $1,684 in Sliven.

Sofia $3,380
Sliven $1,684

Living in Sofia is roughly 105% more expensive than in Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Sliven is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$11.37 BGN 19.78

49.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$35.06 BGN 61.0

94.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$10.19 BGN 17.74

14.03%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.79 BGN 3.11

91.62%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.25 BGN 2.17

87.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.88 BGN 1.53

107.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.71 BGN 2.97

99.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.36 BGN 4.10

88.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.55 BGN 2.70

27.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.79 BGN 1.37

88.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-9.69%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.09 BGN 3.63

111.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$8.12 BGN 14.12

42.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$5.50 BGN 9.57

61.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$6.67 BGN 11.61

162.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.47 BGN 2.56

46.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.65 BGN 2.88

25.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.45 BGN 2.52

33.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$2.16 BGN 3.77

96.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.51 BGN 0.88

101.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.88 BGN 1.53

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.02 BGN 1.77

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.48 BGN 0.83

85.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$3.49 BGN 6.08

21.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$6.14 BGN 10.68

28.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.01 BGN 1.77

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.27 BGN 2.21

48.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.70 BGN 1.22

32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$34.80 BGN 60.6

-18.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.12 BGN 1.96

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.59 BGN 1.03

62.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$8.71 BGN 15.16

76.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.53 BGN 2.66

15.69%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

0.69%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

12.96%

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

$157 BGN 273

$86.7 BGN 151

81.18%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$20.37 BGN 35.44

3.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$9.44 BGN 16.43

62.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$23.32 BGN 40.58

98.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$5.80 BGN 10.09

73.10%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$508 BGN 885

52.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$6,395 BGN 11.1K

96.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$58.1 BGN 101

51.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$22.56 BGN 39.25

83.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$69.1 BGN 120

54.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$61.6 BGN 107

72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$231 BGN 402

233.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$146 BGN 253

313.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$329 BGN 572

375.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$254 BGN 441

308.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,147 BGN 1,996

298.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$915 BGN 1,593

245.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,325 BGN 2,306

31.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.82

2.48%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Sliven

$146 18.7% 75.8% $457

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Sliven

$181 23.2% 37.8% $110

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Sliven

$165 21.1% 35.2% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Sliven

$117 15% 39.8% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Sliven

$95 12.2% 38.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Sliven

$35 4.5% 47.5% $32

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 8.2% $3.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $770 in Sofia and $231 in Sliven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 31% 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 $35.00 in Sliven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $181 per month, with Sliven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

09:25 9:25 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

95,806

💱 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

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Between locations

Sofia Sliven 240 km

From you

Sofia
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliven is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 105% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 31% 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 $231 in Sliven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $775 in Sofia versus $508 in Sliven. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 61% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $779 in Sliven versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sliven but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Sliven the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sliven 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 Sliven 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 Sliven gentler on the wallet – expenses run 105% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.