Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Targovishte

For one person, living is cheaper in Targovishte: $553 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Targovishte
Learn more

Targovishte Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Targovishte

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$553

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Targovishte

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $553 in Targovishte, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Targovishte $553

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,128 in Targovishte, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Targovishte $1,128

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,704 in Targovishte, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Targovishte $1,704

Sofia costs about 188% more than Targovishte, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Targovishte is 59% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$6.90 BGN 12.01

144.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$39.55 BGN 68.8

66.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$6.49 BGN 11.29

74.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.50 BGN 2.61

128.67%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.04 BGN 1.81

131.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.61 BGN 1.06

203.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$0.94 BGN 1.64

293.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.14 BGN 7.21

10.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.50 BGN 2.61

34.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.76 BGN 1.32

105.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.27 BGN 3.94

2.64%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.64 BGN 4.59

65.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.17 BGN 14.21

43.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.48 BGN 9.53

61.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$8.23 BGN 14.32

112.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.71 BGN 2.98

25.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.79 BGN 3.12

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.73 BGN 3.01

11.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.61 BGN 4.54

62.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.03 BGN 1.79

0.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-17.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$0.94 BGN 1.64

22.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.56 BGN 0.97

58.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.53 BGN 6.13

19.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.09 BGN 10.60

22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.65 BGN 1.13

76.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.05 BGN 1.82

76.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$0.47 BGN 0.82

85.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.10 BGN 1.91

52.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.52 BGN 0.90

80.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.40 BGN 18.09

47.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.70 BGN 2.96

-0.59%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.5K BGN 53.0K

-2.26%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$19.8K BGN 34.5K

31.81%

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

$156 BGN 272

$57.4 BGN 99.9

171.73%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$8.70 BGN 15.14

147.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$12.69 BGN 22.08

20.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$17.07 BGN 29.70

169.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$22.42 BGN 39.01

24.53%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$5.82 BGN 10.13

74.91%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$503 BGN 876

53.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$5,395 BGN 9,388

137.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$68.0 BGN 118

32.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$41.71 BGN 72.6

-1.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$89.6 BGN 156

17.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$103 BGN 180

3.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$141 BGN 245

455.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$373 BGN 650

306.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$348 BGN 605

196.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,342 BGN 2,335

224.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,132 BGN 1,970

180.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,250 BGN 2,175

38.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.1

-6.77%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Targovishte: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Targovishte

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Targovishte

$191 34.6% 34.2% $99

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Targovishte

$112 20.3% 55.9% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Targovishte

$79 14.3% 59.1% $114

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Targovishte

$136 24.6% 11.8% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Targovishte

$29 5.2% 56.8% $38

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Targovishte

$5.6 * 1% 85.5% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $141 in Targovishte. 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 39% 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 $40.00 in Targovishte. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $191 – making Targovishte the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Targovishte

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

39,578

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Targovishte 270 km

From you

Sofia
Targovishte

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 Targovishte: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $553 in Targovishte – roughly 188% 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 $829 in Targovishte. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targovishte, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $40.00 in Targovishte. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Targovishte, where all-in costs run around $553, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Targovishte 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 $553 in Targovishte 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 Targovishte. 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.