Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Varazdin

For one person, living is cheaper in Varazdin: $1,270 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Varazdin
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Varazdin Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Varazdin

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Varazdin

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,270 in Varazdin, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Varazdin $1,270

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,842 in Varazdin, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Varazdin $1,842

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,414 in Varazdin, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Varazdin $2,414

Sofia costs about 25% more than Varazdin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Varazdin is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$11.43 €10.17

47.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$61.8 €55.0

6.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$10.15 €9.03

11.53%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.26 €2.01

51.77%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.55 €2.27

-5.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.96 €1.75

-5.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.94 €3.50

-6.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.43 €3.05

33.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.18 €1.05

71.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.64 €1.45

-4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.58 €2.29

-9.69%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.40 €3.02

28.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$5.49 €4.88

114.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.31 €7.39

6.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.36 €12.77

21.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.67 €1.49

28.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.70 €1.51

16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.77 €1.57

9.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.38 €2.11

78.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.25 €1.11

-16.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.14 €1.02

-25.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.10 €0.97

4.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$1.15 €1.02

-22.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.64 €5.01

-25.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$7.96 €7.08

-6.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$0.76 €0.67

51.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.12 €1.89

-12.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.38 €1.23

-36.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$44.38 €39.47

-35.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$3.41 €3.03

-50.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.42 €1.26

-33.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$13.15 €11.70

16.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.64 €1.46

3.05%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$26.3K €23.4K

13.44%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$23.5K €20.9K

11.07%

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

$156 BGN 272

$146 €130

7.01%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$13.93 €12.39

54.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$30.69 €27.30

-50.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$43.23 €38.46

6.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$12.78 €11.37

118.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$6.86 €6.10

48.40%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$154 €137

404.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$12.9K €11.5K

-0.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$73.5 €65.4

22.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$33.37 €29.68

23.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$61.4 €54.6

71.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$71.9 €64.0

48.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$560 €498

39.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$422 €375

41.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$876 €779

73.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$467 €416

120.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$3,127 €2,782

39.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,478 €2,204

28.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$1,379 €1,227

25.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.73

-22.52%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Varazdin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Varazdin

$422 33.2% 29.3% $175

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Varazdin

$239 18.8% 17.8% $52

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Varazdin

$194 15.3% 24% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Varazdin

$190 15% 1.2% $2.4

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Varazdin

$108 8.5% 30% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Varazdin

$57 4.5% 14.3% $9.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Varazdin

$60 4.8% 57.3% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $560 in Varazdin. 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 26% 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 $62.0 in Varazdin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $239 – making Varazdin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇭🇷 Varazdin

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

43,782

💱 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 19, 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Varazdin 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Varazdin

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 Varazdin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,270 in Varazdin – roughly 25% 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 $1,905 in Varazdin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varazdin, 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 $1,270 in Varazdin. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 56% less in Varazdin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Varazdin, where all-in costs run around $1,270, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Varazdin 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 $1,270 in Varazdin 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 Varazdin. 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.