Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Szombathely

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,231 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 Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,231

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Szombathely

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,231 in Szombathely, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Szombathely $1,231

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,949 in Szombathely, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Szombathely $1,949

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,666 in Szombathely, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Szombathely $2,666

Sofia costs about 29% more than Szombathely, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.55 Ft 3,724

46.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$53.4 Ft 17.2K

23.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.89 Ft 2,866

27.33%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.37 Ft 763

44.73%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.35 Ft 434

78.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.28 Ft 413

44.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.72 Ft 555

115.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.32 Ft 749

97.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.21 Ft 389

66.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.57 Ft 508

-0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.37 Ft 763

-1.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.14 Ft 1,014

38.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.39 Ft 3,349

13.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.55 Ft 2,111

34.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$15.99 Ft 5,153

9.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.22 Ft 716

-3.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.04 Ft 658

-2.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.52 Ft 813

-23.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$3.38 Ft 1,089

25.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.08 Ft 349

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.39 Ft 450

-38.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.88 Ft 605

-38.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.54 Ft 175

64.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$8.82 Ft 2,842

-52.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.54 Ft 1,462

64.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.21 Ft 390

-4.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.62 Ft 846

-29.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.88 Ft 284

-1.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$27.09 Ft 8,734

5.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.68 Ft 865

-37.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.37 Ft 441

-31.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$23.64 Ft 7,620

-35.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.85 Ft 596

-8.65%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$28.8K Ft 9.3M

3.43%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

-21.73%

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

$156 BGN 272

$168 Ft 54.3K

-7.33%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$20.42 Ft 6,584

5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.92 Ft 6,744

-27.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$46.96 Ft 15.1K

-1.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$20.68 Ft 6,666

35.01%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$4.65 Ft 1,500

118.92%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$423 Ft 136.2K

83.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,637 Ft 2.5M

67.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$103 Ft 33.0K

-12.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$50.4 Ft 16.3K

-18.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$96.9 Ft 31.2K

8.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$111 Ft 35.8K

-3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$538 Ft 173.3K

45.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$339 Ft 109.3K

76.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$754 Ft 243.1K

101.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$645 Ft 208.0K

59.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,402 Ft 774.2K

81.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,980 Ft 638.3K

60.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,175 Ft 378.9K

47.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.5

-61.47%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Szombathely

$339 27.5% 43.2% $258

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Szombathely

$252 20.5% 13.1% $38

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Szombathely

$171 13.9% 32.8% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Szombathely

$210 17% 8.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Szombathely

$162 13.2% 5.2% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Szombathely

$56 4.6% 15.3% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Szombathely

$40 3.3% 4.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $538 in Szombathely. 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 48% 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 $53.0 in Szombathely. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $252 – making Szombathely the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

20:34 8:34 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

77,757

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 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 = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Szombathely 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Szombathely

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 Szombathely: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,231 in Szombathely – roughly 29% 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 $1,847 in Szombathely. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szombathely, 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 $1,231 in Szombathely. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Szombathely. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szombathely, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szombathely 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 $1,231 in Szombathely 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 Szombathely. 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.