Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Vidin

For one person, living is cheaper in Vidin: $789 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Vidin
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Vidin Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Vidin

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Vidin

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $789 in Vidin, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Vidin $789

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $1,285 in Vidin, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Vidin $1,285

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $1,782 in Vidin, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Vidin $1,782

Sofia costs about 104% more than Vidin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Vidin is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.70

$6.73 BGN 11.85

150.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 117

$40.54 BGN 71.4

63.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.40

$8.95 BGN 15.76

29.50%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.20

$1.94 BGN 3.41

81.44%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.25

$1.54 BGN 2.70

57.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.11

$0.84 BGN 1.48

110.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.48

$1.31 BGN 2.31

180.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.70

$1.72 BGN 3.03

154.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.44

$1.67 BGN 2.94

17.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.65

$0.74 BGN 1.30

104.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.87

$1.39 BGN 2.46

58.27%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.75

$2.93 BGN 5.15

50.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.70

$9.41 BGN 16.56

24.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.28

$8.12 BGN 14.30

6.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.57

$13.59 BGN 23.92

27.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.75

$1.60 BGN 2.81

33.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.61

$1.85 BGN 3.26

10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.40

$1.83 BGN 3.21

5.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.34

$2.13 BGN 3.74

95.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.60

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-1.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.08

$1.16 BGN 2.04

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.68 BGN 1.19

23.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.36

$2.90 BGN 5.11

44.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.51

$5.67 BGN 9.97

35.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$1.06 BGN 1.86

10.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$1.11 BGN 1.95

62.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.58 BGN 1.03

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

$14.55 BGN 25.61

99.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.96

$1.73 BGN 3.04

-2.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.54

$0.48 BGN 0.84

81.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.74

$15.66 BGN 27.57

0.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.04

$1.43 BGN 2.51

20.98%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

$26.1K BGN 46.0K

13.59%

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

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

$25.3K BGN 44.5K

1.29%

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

$161 BGN 283

$108 BGN 190

48.91%

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

$21.08 BGN 37.10

$16.07 BGN 28.28

31.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.73

$14.37 BGN 25.30

5.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 85.1

$26.85 BGN 47.25

80.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

$5.93 BGN 10.43

363.24%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.88

$5.86 BGN 10.32

73.38%

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

$785 BGN 1,382

$426 BGN 750

84.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$5,980 BGN 10.5K

113.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 158

$71.4 BGN 126

25.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.7

$32.67 BGN 57.5

26.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 189

$57.3 BGN 101

87.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 192

$84.8 BGN 149

28.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,389

$207 BGN 365

280.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,063

$132 BGN 233

356.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,670

$341 BGN 599

345.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,825

$274 BGN 482

278.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,756

$899 BGN 1,582

390.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,521

$659 BGN 1,159

376.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

$668 BGN 1,175

160.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Vidin: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Vidin

$132 16.8% 78.1% $472

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Vidin

$225 28.5% 22% $63

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Vidin

$123 15.7% 51.8% $132

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Vidin

$138 17.5% 29.8% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Vidin

$111 14% 29.2% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Vidin

$39 4.9% 43.8% $30

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Vidin

$21 2.7% 45.5% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $207 in Vidin. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia versus $41 in Vidin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $225 – making Vidin the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Vidin

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

50,977

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Sofia Vidin 150 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 Vidin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $789 in Vidin – Vidin comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $1,184 in Vidin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vidin, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $207 there versus $789 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Sofia and $789 in Vidin. That makes Vidin about 51% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Vidin. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vidin, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Sofia at $1,609. In Vidin it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vidin – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Vidin. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.