Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Tesanj

For one person, living is cheaper in Tesanj: $880 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Tesanj
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Tesanj Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Tesanj

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$880

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Tesanj

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $880 in Tesanj, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Tesanj $880

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,288 in Tesanj, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Tesanj $1,288

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $1,696 in Tesanj, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Tesanj $1,696

Sofia costs about 81% more than Tesanj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Tesanj is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$3.38 BAM 5.87

399.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$16.14 BAM 28.07

307.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$2.82 BAM 4.91

301.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$0.84 BAM 1.46

308.33%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.39 BAM 2.42

73.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$0.83 BAM 1.44

122.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$1.97 BAM 3.42

87.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$1.70 BAM 2.95

169.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.83 BAM 1.44

143.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.83 BAM 1.44

87.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.47 BAM 4.30

-5.67%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.07 BAM 5.34

42.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$10.03 BAM 17.44

17.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.09 BAM 12.33

24.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.12 BAM 24.56

23.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.99 BAM 1.72

117.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.60 BAM 2.79

23.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.22 BAM 2.12

58.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.76 BAM 3.06

140.91%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.05 BAM 1.82

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.09 BAM 1.89

-22.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.15 BAM 2.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.97 BAM 1.69

-8.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.79 BAM 6.59

11.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.67 BAM 15.07

-13.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.11 BAM 1.94

3.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.33 BAM 2.31

39.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.48 BAM 2.57

-41.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.16 BAM 2.02

44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.59 BAM 1.03

59.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.46 BAM 18.18

46.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.58 BAM 2.75

6.96%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.2K BAM 52.6K

-1.46%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$22.0K BAM 38.3K

18.63%

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

$156 BGN 272

$93.1 BAM 162

67.72%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$18.33 BAM 31.87

17.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$28.91 BAM 50.3

-47.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$33.13 BAM 57.6

39.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$28.53 BAM 49.62

-2.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$2.79 BAM 4.86

264.87%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$135 BAM 235

471.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$3,835 BAM 6,668

233.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$58.2 BAM 101

54.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$32.70 BAM 56.9

26.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$95.7 BAM 166

9.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$128 BAM 222

-16.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$318 BAM 554

145.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$260 BAM 452

129.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$470 BAM 817

222.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$367 BAM 638

180.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,412 BAM 4,195

80.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,780 BAM 3,096

78.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$685 BAM 1,191

153.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.3

-32.79%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Tesanj: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Tesanj

$260 29.5% 56.4% $337

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Tesanj

$222 25.2% 23.6% $68

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Tesanj

$68 7.7% 73.4% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Tesanj

$140 15.9% 27.3% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Tesanj

$142 16.1% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Tesanj

$39 4.4% 41.7% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Tesanj

$10 * 1.1% 73.9% $28

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 $318 in Tesanj. 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 153% 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 $16.00 in Tesanj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $222 – making Tesanj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇦 Tesanj

🕒 Local time

10:55 10:55 AM

09:55 9:55 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

5,500

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Sofia Tesanj 480 km

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Sofia
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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 Tesanj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $880 in Tesanj – roughly 81% 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 $1,320 in Tesanj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tesanj, 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 $16.00 in Tesanj. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Tesanj, where all-in costs run around $880, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Tesanj 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 $880 in Tesanj 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 Tesanj. 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.