Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szeged

For one person, living is cheaper in Szeged: $1,227 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
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Szeged Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,227

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szeged

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,227 in Szeged, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Szeged $1,227

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,912 in Szeged, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Szeged $1,912

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,596 in Szeged, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Szeged $2,596

Sofia costs about 30% more than Szeged, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Szeged is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$8.98 Ft 2,902

87.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$57.4 Ft 18.5K

14.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.34 Ft 3,018

21.20%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.41 Ft 777

42.32%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.56 Ft 504

54.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.33 Ft 429

39.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.33 Ft 754

58.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.22 Ft 717

106.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.22 Ft 393

65.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.37 Ft 441

13.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.42 Ft 781

-3.72%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.56 Ft 1,150

22.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.46 Ft 3,378

12.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.41 Ft 2,070

37.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.40 Ft 5,298

6.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.28 Ft 737

-5.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.21 Ft 716

-10.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.05 Ft 662

-5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.35 Ft 1,082

26.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.98 Ft 317

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.04 Ft 336

-18.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.66 Ft 537

-30.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.52 Ft 167

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$8.04 Ft 2,599

-47.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$5.45 Ft 1,760

36.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.26 Ft 407

-8.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.99 Ft 643

-7.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.63 Ft 527

-46.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$29.42 Ft 9,505

-3.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.02 Ft 975

-44.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.65 Ft 533

-43.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.15 Ft 5,864

-15.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.90 Ft 615

-11.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$29.5K Ft 9.5M

1.05%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$37.9K Ft 12.2M

-31.00%

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

$156 BGN 272

$127 Ft 40.9K

23.15%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$21.61 Ft 6,981

-0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.17 Ft 6,515

-24.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$46.93 Ft 15.2K

-1.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$29.12 Ft 9,409

-4.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.59 Ft 2,775

18.51%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$248 Ft 80.2K

211.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,658 Ft 2.2M

92.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$114 Ft 36.9K

-21.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$32.26 Ft 10.4K

27.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$94.2 Ft 30.4K

11.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$114 Ft 36.7K

-6.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$523 Ft 168.9K

49.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$380 Ft 122.9K

56.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$761 Ft 245.8K

99.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$603 Ft 194.7K

70.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,103 Ft 1.0M

40.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,320 Ft 749.4K

36.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,234 Ft 398.7K

40.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.67

-56.67%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Szeged: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Szeged

$380 31% 36.3% $217

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Szeged

$251 20.5% 13.6% $39

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Szeged

$156 12.8% 38.6% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Szeged

$169 13.7% 12.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Szeged

$159 13% 3.2% $5

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Szeged

$64 5.2% 3.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szeged

$47 3.9% 23% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $523 in Szeged. 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 41% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $57.0 in Szeged. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $251 – making Szeged the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Szeged

🕒 Local time

22:28 10:28 PM

21:28 9:28 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

157,930

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 →

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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 Szeged: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,227 in Szeged – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,840 in Szeged. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szeged, 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 $1,594 in Sofia and $1,227 in Szeged. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Szeged. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szeged, where all-in costs run around $1,227, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szeged 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 $1,227 in Szeged to $1,594 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 Szeged. 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.