Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Vratsa

For one person, living is cheaper in Vratsa: $826 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Vratsa
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Vratsa Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Vratsa

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Vratsa

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $826 in Vratsa, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Vratsa $826

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $1,255 in Vratsa, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Vratsa $1,255

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $1,684 in Vratsa, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Vratsa $1,684

Sofia costs about 95% more than Vratsa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Vratsa is 39% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$8.49 BGN 14.85

98.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$28.23 BGN 49.41

135.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$5.65 BGN 9.88

105.13%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$2.22 BGN 3.88

58.56%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.56 BGN 2.73

55.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.82 BGN 1.44

115.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$1.68 BGN 2.94

119.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$2.03 BGN 3.55

115.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$1.33 BGN 2.32

47.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.84 BGN 1.47

79.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$1.35 BGN 2.36

62.96%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$2.28 BGN 3.99

92.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$9.35 BGN 16.36

25.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$5.62 BGN 9.83

54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$8.41 BGN 14.71

106.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$1.25 BGN 2.19

70.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$1.64 BGN 2.87

25.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$1.11 BGN 1.94

73.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$1.73 BGN 3.02

141.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$0.98 BGN 1.72

10.20%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.71 BGN 1.25

28.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.56 BGN 0.98

110.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.54 BGN 0.95

55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$3.49 BGN 6.10

19.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$5.22 BGN 9.13

47.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.08 BGN 1.90

8.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$1.74 BGN 3.04

3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.82 BGN 1.44

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

$25.24 BGN 44.17

15.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$0.88 BGN 1.54

90.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$0.62 BGN 1.08

40.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$6.45 BGN 11.28

144.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.56 BGN 2.73

10.90%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$30.4K BGN 53.3K

-2.53%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$23.4K BGN 41.0K

9.28%

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

$161 BGN 282

$94.3 BGN 165

70.54%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$12.63 BGN 22.09

66.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$12.23 BGN 21.40

24.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$22.92 BGN 40.11

110.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

$19.29 BGN 33.77

42.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$5.80 BGN 10.15

75.17%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$223 BGN 390

252.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$2,257 BGN 3,949

465.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$30.65 BGN 53.6

192.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$19.41 BGN 33.97

112.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$64.4 BGN 113

66.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$50.4 BGN 88.2

116.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$337 BGN 590

133.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$253 BGN 444

138.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$550 BGN 962

175.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$401 BGN 703

158.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$1,309 BGN 2,291

236.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$1,114 BGN 1,950

181.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

$1,080 BGN 1,890

60.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.99

-3.34%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Vratsa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Vratsa

$253 30.7% 58% $350

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Vratsa

$179 21.7% 37.8% $109

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Vratsa

$133 16.2% 47.9% $123

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Vratsa

$119 14.4% 39.5% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Vratsa

$74 9% 52.6% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Vratsa

$35 4.2% 49.7% $34

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Vratsa

$33 3.9% 15.7% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $337 in Vratsa. 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 61% 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 in Sofia versus $28 in Vratsa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $179 – making Vratsa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇬 Vratsa

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

Same time as Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

60,877

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Vratsa 59 km

From you

Sofia
Vratsa

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 Vratsa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $826 in Vratsa – Vratsa comes out roughly 49% 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 $1,240 in Vratsa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vratsa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $789 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,609 in Sofia and $826 in Vratsa. That makes Vratsa about 49% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 13% less in Vratsa. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Vratsa, where all-in costs run around $826, than in Sofia at $1,609. In Vratsa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Vratsa – 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 Vratsa. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.