Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Zabrze

For one person, living is cheaper in Zabrze: $1,493 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Zabrze
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Zabrze Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Zabrze

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Zabrze

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,493 in Zabrze, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Zabrze $1,493

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,098 in Zabrze, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Zabrze $2,098

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,703 in Zabrze, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Zabrze $2,703

Sofia costs about 7% more than Zabrze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Zabrze sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Zabrze by 11%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$10.13 zł 39.36

66.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$34.13 zł 133

92.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$8.65 zł 33.60

30.87%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.76 zł 14.62

-8.78%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.14 zł 8.33

12.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.89 zł 7.36

-2.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$3.48 zł 13.51

6.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$4.64 zł 18.02

-1.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$0.97 zł 3.77

108.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.19 zł 4.61

31.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.46 zł 5.66

59.59%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.23 zł 12.56

34.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$7.98 zł 30.99

47.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$5.59 zł 21.71

57.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$11.95 zł 46.43

46.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.03 zł 4.01

108.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.40 zł 5.42

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.46 zł 5.66

32.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.61 zł 10.12

62.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$0.98 zł 3.81

6.12%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.84 zł 3.27

1.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.24 zł 4.80

-7.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.60 zł 2.33

48.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$5.77 zł 22.40

-27.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.23 zł 24.21

19.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.04 zł 4.05

10.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.71 zł 6.62

8.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.06 zł 4.11

-17.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$30.40 zł 118

-6.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.75 zł 6.79

-4.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.74 zł 2.86

27.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$10.06 zł 39.07

52.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.69 zł 6.56

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.1K zł 116.8K

-0.84%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$25.9K zł 100.7K

0.86%

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

$156 BGN 272

$338 zł 1,312

-53.79%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$9.91 zł 38.52

117.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$17.31 zł 67.3

-11.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$37.82 zł 147

21.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$24.08 zł 93.6

15.95%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$7.70 zł 29.91

32.21%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$477 zł 1,853

62.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$12.1K zł 47.0K

5.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$70.2 zł 273

28.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$31.68 zł 123

30.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$90.1 zł 350

16.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$92.5 zł 359

15.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$670 zł 2,601

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$513 zł 1,995

16.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$975 zł 3,787

55.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$808 zł 3,139

27.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,950 zł 11.5K

47.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,240 zł 8,702

41.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

7.19

-59.81%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zabrze: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Zabrze

$513 34.4% 14% $83

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Zabrze

$198 13.3% 31.7% $92

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Zabrze

$195 13.1% 23.5% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Zabrze

$365 24.5% 89.2% $172

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Zabrze

$128 8.6% 17.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Zabrze

$53 3.6% 19.9% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Zabrze

$40 2.7% 4.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $670 in Zabrze. 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 $34.00 in Zabrze. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $198 – making Zabrze the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Zabrze

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

12:35 12:35 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

169,831

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Polish Złoty PLN zł

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PLN, 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).

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Zabrze 910 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Zabrze

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 Zabrze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,493 in Zabrze – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,239 in Zabrze. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zabrze, 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 $1,493 in Zabrze. That's a gap of about 7%.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Zabrze. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zabrze, where all-in costs run around $1,493, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Zabrze 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 $1,493 in Zabrze 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 Zabrze. 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.