Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Vac

For one person, living is cheaper in Vac: $1,305 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Vac
Learn more

Vac Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Vac

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,305

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Vac

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,305 in Vac, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Vac $1,305

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,214 in Vac, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Vac $2,214

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,123 in Vac, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Vac $3,123

Sofia costs about 22% more than Vac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Vac is 3% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$19.39 Ft 6,266

-13.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$110 Ft 35.5K

-40.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$9.14 Ft 2,952

23.85%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.41 Ft 780

42.32%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$1.51 Ft 488

59.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.21 Ft 392

52.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.23 Ft 719

65.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$2.27 Ft 732

101.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.31 Ft 425

54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.49 Ft 480

4.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.25 Ft 727

3.56%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.15 Ft 1,016

38.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$8.68 Ft 2,805

35.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$6.01 Ft 1,942

46.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.06 Ft 5,188

8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.79 Ft 579

20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.08 Ft 673

-4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.05 Ft 663

-5.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.40 Ft 776

76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.59 Ft 513

-34.59%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.10 Ft 355

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.37 Ft 444

-16.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.45 Ft 144

97.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$7.64 Ft 2,468

-44.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$4.96 Ft 1,603

50.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.89 Ft 289

29.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.14 Ft 691

-13.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.07 Ft 346

-18.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$25.11 Ft 8,114

13.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.38 Ft 1,092

-50.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.40 Ft 453

-32.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.86 Ft 5,772

-14.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.92 Ft 620

-11.98%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$27.9K Ft 9.0M

6.85%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$33.9K Ft 11.0M

-22.95%

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

$156 BGN 272

$152 Ft 49.1K

2.73%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$23.32 Ft 7,535

-7.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$20.92 Ft 6,759

-27.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$49.14 Ft 15.9K

-6.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$19.67 Ft 6,354

41.94%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$8.90 Ft 2,874

14.38%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$251 Ft 81.1K

208.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$7,896 Ft 2.6M

62.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$90.3 Ft 29.2K

-0.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$31.40 Ft 10.1K

31.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$85.7 Ft 27.7K

22.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$102 Ft 33.0K

4.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$519 Ft 167.8K

50.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$393 Ft 126.8K

52.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$824 Ft 266.1K

84.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$760 Ft 245.6K

35.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,105 Ft 1.0M

40.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,588 Ft 836.1K

22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,418 Ft 458.0K

22.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.67

-56.67%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Vac: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Vac

$393 30.1% 34.2% $204

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Vac

$232 17.8% 20.1% $58

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Vac

$238 18.2% 6.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Vac

$196 15% 1.7% $3.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Vac

$139 10.7% 9.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Vac

$67 5.1% 0.7% $0.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Vac

$40 3.1% 3.6% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $519 in Vac. 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 22% 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 $110 in Vac. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $232 in Vac – so Vac wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇺 Vac

🕒 Local time

06:19 6:19 AM

05:19 5:19 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

34,001

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Vac 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Vac

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 Vac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,305 in Vac – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $1,957 in Vac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vac, 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 $1,305 in Vac. That's a gap of about 22%.

Public transport costs about 14% less in Vac. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Vac, where all-in costs run around $1,305, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Vac 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 $1,305 in Vac 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 Vac. 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.