Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szekesfehervar

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekesfehervar: $1,092 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Szekesfehervar
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Szekesfehervar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Szekesfehervar

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,092

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szekesfehervar

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,092 in Szekesfehervar, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Szekesfehervar $1,092

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,793 in Szekesfehervar, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Szekesfehervar $1,793

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,494 in Szekesfehervar, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Szekesfehervar $2,494

Sofia costs about 46% more than Szekesfehervar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Szekesfehervar is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.28 Ft 2,998

81.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$57.0 Ft 18.4K

15.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.35 Ft 2,696

35.57%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.15 Ft 695

59.53%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.42 Ft 458

69.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.07 Ft 346

72.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.01 Ft 650

84.08%

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 394

65.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.35 Ft 435

15.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.51 Ft 812

-7.17%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.37 Ft 1,089

29.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.76 Ft 3,476

9.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.18 Ft 1,997

42.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.27 Ft 5,256

7.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.15 Ft 696

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.25 Ft 728

-12.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.98 Ft 640

-2.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.15 Ft 1,018

34.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.98 Ft 318

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.08 Ft 350

-21.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.65 Ft 533

-30.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.49 Ft 157

81.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.40 Ft 2,067

-34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$3.07 Ft 993

143.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.25 Ft 405

-8.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.02 Ft 653

-8.42%

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

$26.59 Ft 8,589

7.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.97 Ft 960

-43.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.73 Ft 558

-45.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$18.60 Ft 6,011

-17.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.90 Ft 613

-11.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$29.7K Ft 9.6M

0.45%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$30.8K Ft 10.0M

-15.19%

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

$156 BGN 272

$129 Ft 41.5K

21.37%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$26.81 Ft 8,662

-19.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$19.60 Ft 6,333

-22.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$46.64 Ft 15.1K

-1.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.73 Ft 2,819

16.61%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$244 Ft 78.9K

216.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,665 Ft 2.2M

92.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$70.1 Ft 22.6K

28.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$24.67 Ft 7,970

67.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$76.5 Ft 24.7K

37.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$85.0 Ft 27.5K

25.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$395 Ft 127.7K

98.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$302 Ft 97.5K

97.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$614 Ft 198.5K

146.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$653 Ft 210.9K

57.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,394 Ft 1.1M

28.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$3,080 Ft 995.0K

3.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,456 Ft 470.5K

19.15%

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 Szekesfehervar: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Szekesfehervar

$302 27.6% 49.4% $295

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Szekesfehervar

$243 22.3% 16.3% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Szekesfehervar

$150 13.7% 41.3% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Szekesfehervar

$175 16% 9.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Szekesfehervar

$115 10.6% 25.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Szekesfehervar

$64 5.9% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szekesfehervar

$43 4% 12.4% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $395 in Szekesfehervar. 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 19% 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 Szekesfehervar. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $243 – making Szekesfehervar the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Szekesfehervar

🕒 Local time

18:15 6:15 PM

17:15 5:15 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

96,024

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Szekesfehervar 630 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Szekesfehervar

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 Szekesfehervar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,092 in Szekesfehervar – roughly 46% 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 $1,638 in Szekesfehervar. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szekesfehervar, 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 $1,092 in Szekesfehervar. That's a gap of about 46%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Szekesfehervar. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szekesfehervar, where all-in costs run around $1,092, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szekesfehervar 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 $1,092 in Szekesfehervar 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 Szekesfehervar. 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.