Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Split and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,819 in Split, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Split
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Split Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Split

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,819

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Split and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Split and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,819 per month in Split vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Split $1,819
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,815 per month in Split vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Split $2,815
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,810 per month in Split vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Split $3,810
Sofia $3,324

Split costs about 14% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Split and Sofia sit above the global median – Split by 36%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.92 €15.10

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-1.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 €66.3

$66.9 BGN 117

11.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.40 €10.17

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-3.14%

Cappuccino

$2.86 €2.55

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-16.37%

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

$4.11 €3.67

$2.42 BGN 4.23

69.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 €2.63

$1.86 BGN 3.26

58.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.75 €4.24

$3.33 BGN 5.83

42.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 €4.38

$4.53 BGN 7.92

8.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.51 BGN 2.64

43.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.29

$2.21 BGN 3.88

66.97%

Eggs

$4.21 €3.75

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-4.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.85 €12.36

$11.56 BGN 20.22

19.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.54 €8.52

$8.79 BGN 15.38

8.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.20 €11.78

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-22.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$2.17 BGN 3.79

1.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.84 BGN 3.22

3.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.50

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-34.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.03 BGN 1.80

47.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.05

$0.93 BGN 1.62

26.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.20 BGN 2.11

12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.92 BGN 1.62

31.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.63 €5.02

$4.30 BGN 7.53

30.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.93 €7.97

$7.33 BGN 12.83

21.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.18 BGN 2.06

45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.87 BGN 3.28

19.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 €1.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

95.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.64 €35.38

$28.14 BGN 49.24

40.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.76 €3.36

$1.74 BGN 3.04

116.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.14 €1.91

$0.96 BGN 1.68

122.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.30 €26.15

$15.54 BGN 27.19

88.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.79 BGN 3.14

5.59%

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

$28.3K €25.3K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-5.58%

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

$24.5K €21.9K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-6.99%

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

$207 €185

$156 BGN 273

32.62%

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

$20.38 €18.19

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-3.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.24 €37.69

$15.64 BGN 27.37

170.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.9 €54.3

$46.76 BGN 81.8

30.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.12 €11.70

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-52.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.22 €8.23

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-7.98%

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

$622 €555

$766 BGN 1,341

-18.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-9.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.6 €83.5

$89.7 BGN 157

4.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.70 €36.32

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$115 €102

$106 BGN 186

8.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 €88.1

$105 BGN 183

-5.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €900

$796 BGN 1,393

26.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$727 €649

$607 BGN 1,063

19.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 €1,715

$1,563 BGN 2,735

22.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,309 €1,168

$1,060 BGN 1,855

23.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,330 €6,541

$4,357 BGN 7,626

68.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,057 €4,512

$3,250 BGN 5,688

55.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,601 €1,429

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-7.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.44

2.89

19.03%

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

Last update for Split: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Split

$727 39.2%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 16.5% $120

Groceries & Markets

Split

$297 16%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 3.1% $9.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Split

$269 14.5%

Sofia

$193 12% 28.4% $77

Eating Out

Split

$266 14.3%

Sofia

$256 16% 3.6% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Split

$156 8.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1.9% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Split

$79 4.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 15.8% $13

Getting Around

Split

$61 3.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 37.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,008 in Split versus $796 in Sofia. 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 9% higher in Sofia, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Split versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Split

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

04:20 4:20 AM

05:20 5:20 AM

1 h ahead of Split

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,830

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Split Sofia 570 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Split
Sofia

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

Split vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,819 in Split, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,729 per month in Split and $2,384 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, 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 $1,819 in Split and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 14%.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Split at $1,819. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Split it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Split has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $1,819 in Split. 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 Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Split makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.