Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szolnok

For one person, living is cheaper in Szolnok: $1,106 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Szolnok
Learn more

Szolnok Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Szolnok

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,106

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szolnok

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,106 in Szolnok, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Szolnok $1,106

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,692 in Szolnok, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Szolnok $1,692

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,278 in Szolnok, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Szolnok $2,278

Sofia costs about 44% more than Szolnok, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.60 Ft 3,101

75.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$46.62 Ft 15.1K

41.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.00 Ft 2,585

41.50%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.30 Ft 741

49.13%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.01 Ft 648

19.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.19 Ft 386

55.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.55 Ft 823

45.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.67 Ft 864

71.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.92 Ft 297

119.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.24 Ft 399

25.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.62 Ft 523

43.83%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.08 Ft 994

41.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.29 Ft 2,356

61.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.60 Ft 2,132

33.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.28 Ft 4,291

31.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.44 Ft 464

49.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.74 Ft 562

13.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.52 Ft 492

26.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.30 Ft 744

84.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.68 Ft 220

52.94%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.73 Ft 236

16.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.02 Ft 330

12.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.37 Ft 120

140.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$6.84 Ft 2,211

-38.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$3.62 Ft 1,168

106.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.89 Ft 286

29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.30 Ft 420

42.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.06 Ft 342

-17.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$26.01 Ft 8,402

9.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.82 Ft 912

-40.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.24 Ft 724

-58.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$14.84 Ft 4,794

3.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.82 Ft 588

-7.14%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.5K Ft 8.9M

8.43%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$36.6K Ft 11.8M

-28.66%

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

$156 BGN 272

$128 Ft 41.3K

21.99%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$29.81 Ft 9,631

-27.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$22.14 Ft 7,152

-31.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$41.80 Ft 13.5K

10.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$18.06 Ft 5,835

54.60%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$3.37 Ft 1,088

202.08%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$151 Ft 48.8K

412.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$4,944 Ft 1.6M

159.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$81.0 Ft 26.2K

11.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$50.2 Ft 16.2K

-17.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$88.6 Ft 28.6K

18.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$116 Ft 37.6K

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$397 Ft 128.1K

97.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$327 Ft 105.5K

82.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$625 Ft 201.9K

142.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$504 Ft 162.9K

104.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,013 Ft 650.4K

116.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,598 Ft 516.2K

98.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,059 Ft 342.1K

63.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.69

-62.42%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Szolnok: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Szolnok

$327 29.5% 45.3% $270

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Szolnok

$197 17.8% 32.3% $94

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Szolnok

$159 14.4% 37.5% $96

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Szolnok

$180 16.3% 6.7% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Szolnok

$151 13.7% 2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Szolnok

$49 4.4% 27% $18

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szolnok

$44 4% 15.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $397 in Szolnok. 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 64% 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 $47.00 in Szolnok. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $197 – making Szolnok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Szolnok

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

03:51 3:51 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

66,426

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Szolnok 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Szolnok

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 Szolnok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,106 in Szolnok – roughly 44% 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 $1,660 in Szolnok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szolnok, 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 $1,106 in Szolnok. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Szolnok. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Szolnok, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szolnok 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 $1,106 in Szolnok 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 Szolnok. 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.