Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szczecin

For one person, living is cheaper in Szczecin: $1,331 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Szczecin
Learn more

Szczecin Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Szczecin

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,331

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szczecin

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $1,331 in Szczecin, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Szczecin $1,331

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,974 in Szczecin, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Szczecin $1,974

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $2,618 in Szczecin, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Szczecin $2,618

Sofia costs about 19% more than Szczecin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Szczecin is 1% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$8.71 zł 34.04

96.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$45.79 zł 179

46.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$8.32 zł 32.50

41.47%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$2.93 zł 11.44

16.72%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.80 zł 7.05

34.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.41 zł 5.52

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$2.98 zł 11.64

11.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$3.09 zł 12.09

46.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$0.92 zł 3.61

108.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.25 zł 4.90

20.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.06 zł 4.16

108.49%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$3.24 zł 12.68

35.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$9.39 zł 36.70

23.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$6.25 zł 24.43

40.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$13.00 zł 50.8

30.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$0.96 zł 3.77

126.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.64 zł 6.39

24.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$1.58 zł 6.19

16.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$2.34 zł 9.14

83.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.85 zł 3.32

21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.07 zł 4.20

-13.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$1.12 zł 4.36

7.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.59 zł 2.33

55.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$5.28 zł 20.64

-18.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$6.49 zł 25.38

12.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.07 zł 4.17

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.46 zł 5.70

28.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.74 zł 2.90

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$25.11 zł 98.2

12.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.97 zł 7.69

-11.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.94 zł 3.67

2.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$12.96 zł 50.7

19.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.65 zł 6.44

8.48%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$30.2K zł 118.0K

-0.72%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$28.4K zł 111.2K

-7.31%

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

$156 BGN 273

$243 zł 949

-35.74%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$12.39 zł 48.42

71.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$18.74 zł 73.3

-16.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$30.15 zł 118

55.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$49.87 zł 195

-44.38%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$6.42 zł 25.09

56.07%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$329 zł 1,287

132.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$7,675 zł 30.0K

66.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$69.8 zł 273

28.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$35.71 zł 140

14.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$80.3 zł 314

32.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$89.6 zł 350

16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$616 zł 2,407

29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$485 zł 1,894

25.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$1,153 zł 4,506

35.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$815 zł 3,184

30.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$3,349 zł 13.1K

30.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$2,339 zł 9,142

38.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$1,622 zł 6,339

7.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.82

-57.62%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Last update for Szczecin: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Szczecin

$485 36.4% 20.2% $123

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Szczecin

$208 15.6% 27.8% $80

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Szczecin

$164 12.3% 36.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Szczecin

$274 20.6% 42% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Szczecin

$124 9.3% 19.3% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Szczecin

$43 3.2% 35.6% $24

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szczecin

$35 2.6% 9% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $616 in Szczecin. 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 7% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $46.00 in Szczecin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $208 – making Szczecin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Szczecin

🕒 Local time

14:45 2:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

387,700

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Szczecin 1,360 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Szczecin

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 Szczecin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,589 in Sofia, $1,331 in Szczecin – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,996 in Szczecin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $1,331 in Szczecin. That's a gap of about 19%.

Public transport costs about 12% less in Szczecin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szczecin, where all-in costs run around $1,331, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Szczecin 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 $1,331 in Szczecin to $1,589 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 Szczecin. 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.