Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szentendre

For one person, living is cheaper in Szentendre: $1,455 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Szentendre
Learn more

Szentendre Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Szentendre

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szentendre

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,455 in Szentendre, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Szentendre $1,455

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,091 in Szentendre, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Szentendre $2,091

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,726 in Szentendre, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Szentendre $2,726

Sofia costs about 10% more than Szentendre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Szentendre sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Szentendre by 8%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$12.75 Ft 4,132

32.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$55.7 Ft 18.0K

18.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$9.05 Ft 2,932

25.08%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$2.67 Ft 865

28.46%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$1.90 Ft 615

26.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.15 Ft 371

60.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$3.32 Ft 1,077

11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$2.87 Ft 930

59.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.14 Ft 371

77.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$1.44 Ft 466

8.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.33 Ft 756

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.36 Ft 1,089

29.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$11.26 Ft 3,648

4.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$6.07 Ft 1,969

45.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$13.74 Ft 4,453

27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.91 Ft 618

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.11 Ft 684

-6.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.02 Ft 656

-4.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$3.80 Ft 1,233

11.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.01 Ft 326

2.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.98 Ft 319

-13.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.55 Ft 503

-25.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.53 Ft 171

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$7.84 Ft 2,540

-46.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$5.97 Ft 1,935

24.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.27 Ft 411

-9.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$1.63 Ft 528

13.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.19 Ft 386

-26.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$28.79 Ft 9,332

-0.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$3.03 Ft 982

-44.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.39 Ft 450

-32.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$18.38 Ft 5,957

-16.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.91 Ft 621

-11.52%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$28.9K Ft 9.4M

3.09%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$33.7K Ft 10.9M

-22.50%

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

$156 BGN 273

$153 Ft 49.7K

1.82%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$30.94 Ft 10.0K

-30.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$23.11 Ft 7,490

-34.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$45.59 Ft 14.8K

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$19.51 Ft 6,323

43.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$7.78 Ft 2,521

30.85%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$493 Ft 159.8K

56.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$16.3K Ft 5.3M

-21.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$89.6 Ft 29.0K

0.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$27.81 Ft 9,015

48.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$99.0 Ft 32.1K

6.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$105 Ft 34.1K

1.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$613 Ft 198.7K

27.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$560 Ft 181.6K

6.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$770 Ft 249.5K

97.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$690 Ft 223.8K

49.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$3,102 Ft 1.0M

40.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$3,848 Ft 1.2M

-17.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$1,545 Ft 500.7K

12.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.45

-55.19%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Szentendre: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Szentendre

$560 38.5% 6.1% $37

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Szentendre

$242 16.7% 16.6% $48

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Szentendre

$196 13.5% 23.2% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Szentendre

$207 14.3% 7.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Szentendre

$145 9.9% 6.3% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Szentendre

$61 4.2% 8% $5.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szentendre

$44 3% 13.4% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $613 in Szentendre. 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 12% 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 $56.0 in Szentendre. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $242 – making Szentendre the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Szentendre

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

28,444

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.09 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 324 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.09 USD). 1 EUR = 364 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Szentendre 640 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Szentendre

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 Szentendre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,455 in Szentendre – roughly 10% 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 $2,182 in Szentendre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szentendre, 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 $1,455 in Szentendre. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 1% less in Szentendre. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Szentendre, where all-in costs run around $1,455, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szentendre 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 $1,455 in Szentendre 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 Szentendre. 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.