Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Zgorzelec

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,412 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
69

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Zgorzelec

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,412 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Zgorzelec $1,412

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $2,062 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Zgorzelec $2,062

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,712 in Zgorzelec, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Zgorzelec $2,712

Sofia costs about 13% more than Zgorzelec, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Zgorzelec sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Zgorzelec by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$8.96 zł 34.83

89.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$50.8 zł 197

34.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$7.65 zł 29.70

51.90%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.09 zł 12.02

11.00%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$0.88 zł 3.40

165.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.57 zł 6.09

16.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.49 zł 5.77

128.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.01 zł 7.79

120.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$0.91 zł 3.52

116.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$1.20 zł 4.67

24.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.43 zł 5.54

62.94%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$3.60 zł 13.97

22.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$8.70 zł 33.79

32.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$6.13 zł 23.83

44.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$13.18 zł 51.2

32.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$0.86 zł 3.32

150.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.55 zł 6.04

33.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.68 zł 6.53

14.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.50 zł 5.81

183.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.66 zł 2.57

56.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.01 zł 3.91

-12.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.23 zł 4.76

-3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.69 zł 2.68

28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$4.72 zł 18.35

-10.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$7.56 zł 29.36

4.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$0.87 zł 3.39

35.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$1.40 zł 5.45

35.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$1.05 zł 4.07

-11.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$30.83 zł 120

-8.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.23 zł 8.66

-24.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.99 zł 3.85

-3.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$12.86 zł 49.96

19.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.67 zł 6.47

5.99%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$30.9K zł 119.9K

-1.17%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$26.7K zł 103.9K

-6.24%

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

$157 BGN 273

$295 zł 1,147

-46.82%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$7.65 zł 29.71

176.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$18.94 zł 73.6

-19.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$38.09 zł 148

21.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$21.82 zł 84.8

28.74%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$7.55 zł 29.35

32.98%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$483 zł 1,875

60.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$7,429 zł 28.9K

68.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$77.2 zł 300

14.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$37.43 zł 145

10.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$85.4 zł 332

25.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$108 zł 420

-1.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$603 zł 2,341

27.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$498 zł 1,935

20.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$994 zł 3,860

57.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$815 zł 3,168

27.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$2,924 zł 11.4K

56.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$2,192 zł 8,515

44.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,356 zł 5,270

28.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

6.63

-56.41%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Zgorzelec: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Zgorzelec

$498 35.3% 17.3% $104

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Zgorzelec

$205 14.5% 29.6% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Zgorzelec

$153 10.8% 39.9% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Zgorzelec

$322 22.8% 66.4% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Zgorzelec

$139 9.8% 10% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Zgorzelec

$53 3.8% 20% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Zgorzelec

$42 3% 9.6% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $603 in Zgorzelec. 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 28% 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 $68.0 in Sofia versus $51.0 in Zgorzelec. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $205 – making Zgorzelec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

29,534

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Zgorzelec 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Zgorzelec

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 Zgorzelec: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,600 in Sofia, $1,412 in Zgorzelec – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $2,118 in Zgorzelec. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zgorzelec, 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 $1,600 in Sofia and $1,412 in Zgorzelec. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Zgorzelec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zgorzelec, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Zgorzelec 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 $1,412 in Zgorzelec to $1,600 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 Zgorzelec. 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.