Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ulcinj

For one person, living is cheaper in Ulcinj: $1,200 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Ulcinj
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Ulcinj Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Ulcinj

🇲🇪 Montenegro

$1,200

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ulcinj

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,200 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Ulcinj $1,200

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,919 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Ulcinj $1,919

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,639 in Ulcinj, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Ulcinj $2,639

Sofia costs about 33% more than Ulcinj, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Ulcinj is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.29 €10.05

49.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$35.99 €32.01

82.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$7.93 €7.05

42.75%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.19 €1.95

56.62%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.17 €1.93

11.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.62 €1.44

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.29 €2.04

61.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.45 €3.07

32.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.15 €1.02

75.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$0.65 €0.58

140.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.80 €2.49

-16.79%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$1.88 €1.68

131.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.09 €8.09

29.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$7.16 €6.37

23.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$12.51 €11.13

39.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.34 €1.19

60.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.54 €1.37

28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$0.96 €0.85

101.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$1.15 €1.02

268.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.75 €0.67

38.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.25 €1.11

-32.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.47 €1.31

-21.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.86 €0.77

3.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$4.02 €3.57

4.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.35 €3.87

71.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.29 €1.15

-10.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.70 €1.52

8.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.48 €1.31

-41.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$40.75 €36.25

-29.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.14 €1.01

47.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.14 €1.02

-17.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$16.70 €14.85

-8.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.57 €1.40

7.64%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$32.3K €28.7K

-7.69%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$21.0K €18.6K

24.72%

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

$156 BGN 272

$131 €116

19.17%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$12.95 €11.52

66.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$25.21 €22.42

-39.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$22.26 €19.80

107.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$14.56 €12.95

91.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.85 €6.98

29.68%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$453 €403

71.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$6,812 €6,059

87.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$82.9 €73.7

8.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$33.67 €29.95

22.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$72.4 €64.4

45.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$93.1 €82.8

14.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$721 €641

8.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$436 €388

36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$1,462 €1,300

3.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$973 €865

5.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,319 €2,952

31.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,321 €2,065

36.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-42.20%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Ulcinj: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Ulcinj

$436 36.4% 26.9% $161

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Ulcinj

$202 16.9% 30.3% $88

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Ulcinj

$174 14.5% 31.7% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Ulcinj

$169 14.1% 12.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Ulcinj

$127 10.6% 17.8% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Ulcinj

$38 3.2% 42.9% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ulcinj

$54 4.5% 39.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $721 in Ulcinj. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $36.00 in Ulcinj. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $202 – making Ulcinj the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇲🇪 Ulcinj

🕒 Local time

11:40 11:40 AM

10:40 10:40 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

10,707

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Ulcinj 350 km

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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 Ulcinj: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,200 in Ulcinj – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,800 in Ulcinj. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ulcinj, 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 $1,200 in Ulcinj. That's a gap of about 33%.

Public transport costs about 43% less in Ulcinj. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ulcinj, where all-in costs run around $1,200, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Ulcinj 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 $1,200 in Ulcinj 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 Ulcinj. 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.