Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Zepce

For one person, living is cheaper in Zepce: $1,095 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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
53

Cost of Living Index in Zepce
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Zepce Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Zepce

🇧🇦 Bosnia and Herzegovina

$1,095

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Zepce

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,095 in Zepce, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Zepce $1,095

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $1,585 in Zepce, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Zepce $1,585

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $2,076 in Zepce, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Zepce $2,076

Sofia costs about 46% more than Zepce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Zepce is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$9.64 BAM 16.76

75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$29.10 BAM 50.6

126.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.03 BAM 19.17

2.63%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$1.80 BAM 3.13

90.56%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$2.57 BAM 4.48

-6.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.61 BAM 2.79

14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$2.49 BAM 4.33

48.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$3.44 BAM 5.98

33.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.38 BAM 2.39

46.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.17 BAM 2.04

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.57 BAM 2.74

48.41%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$2.85 BAM 4.96

52.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$9.36 BAM 16.27

25.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$8.61 BAM 14.98

2.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$13.67 BAM 23.77

27.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.86 BAM 3.23

15.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.98 BAM 3.44

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.23 BAM 3.89

-13.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.13 BAM 3.70

99.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.02 BAM 1.78

1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.41 BAM 2.45

-39.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.12 BAM 1.95

2.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.91 BAM 1.58

-2.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$3.91 BAM 6.81

7.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$8.13 BAM 14.15

-8.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.01 BAM 1.76

13.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.39 BAM 2.41

33.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.29 BAM 2.24

-32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.70 BAM 2.95

-1.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.16 BAM 2.02

-18.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$17.17 BAM 29.86

-10.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.76 BAM 3.06

-3.98%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$30.0K BAM 52.2K

-0.68%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$21.1K BAM 36.6K

24.12%

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

$156 BGN 272

$158 BAM 275

-1.21%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$16.53 BAM 28.75

30.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$36.87 BAM 64.1

-58.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$32.30 BAM 56.2

42.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$11.57 BAM 20.12

141.31%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$2.89 BAM 5.03

252.25%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$294 BAM 511

163.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$3,518 BAM 6,117

263.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$83.8 BAM 146

7.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$35.52 BAM 61.8

16.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$104 BAM 181

0.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$142 BAM 247

-24.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$304 BAM 528

157.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$259 BAM 450

130.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$480 BAM 835

215.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$323 BAM 561

219.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,764 BAM 4,807

57.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,856 BAM 3,228

71.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

4.44

-34.91%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Zepce: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Zepce

$259 23.7% 56.6% $338

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Zepce

$242 22.1% 16.9% $49

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Zepce

$168 15.3% 34.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Zepce

$211 19.3% 9.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Zepce

$164 15% 6.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Zepce

$38 3.5% 42.7% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Zepce

$13 * 1.2% 67% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $304 in Zepce. 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 $29.00 in Zepce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $242 – making Zepce the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇦 Zepce

🕒 Local time

07:56 7:56 AM

06:56 6:56 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

7,500

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark BAM KM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BAM = 0.575 USD

1 BAM = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BAM, 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).

Bosnia and Herzegovina Convertible Mark exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BAM (1 BAM = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BAM (1 BAM = 0.512 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Sofia Zepce 470 km

From you

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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 Zepce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,095 in Zepce – roughly 46% 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 $1,642 in Zepce. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zepce, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $29.00 in Zepce. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Zepce, where all-in costs run around $1,095, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Zepce 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 $1,095 in Zepce 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 Zepce. 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.