Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szeged and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Szeged: $1,227 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Szeged
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Szeged Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Szeged

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,227

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Szeged 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 Szeged and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Szeged vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Szeged $1,227
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,912 per month in Szeged vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Szeged $1,912
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,596 per month in Szeged vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Szeged $2,596
Sofia $3,361

Szeged is about 23% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Szeged sits 9% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.98 Ft 2,902

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-46.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.4 Ft 18.5K

$65.8 BGN 115

-12.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 Ft 3,018

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-17.49%

Cappuccino

$2.41 Ft 777

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-29.74%

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

$1.56 Ft 504

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-35.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 Ft 429

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 Ft 754

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-37.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 Ft 717

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-51.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 Ft 393

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-39.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.37 Ft 441

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-12.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 Ft 781

$2.33 BGN 4.05

3.86%

Eggs

$3.56 Ft 1,150

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-18.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.46 Ft 3,378

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-11.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 Ft 2,070

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-27.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.40 Ft 5,298

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-6.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 Ft 737

$2.15 BGN 3.74

6.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 Ft 716

$1.98 BGN 3.44

11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 662

$1.93 BGN 3.37

6.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.35 Ft 1,082

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-20.99%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 Ft 317

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-5.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 Ft 336

$0.85 BGN 1.48

22.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 Ft 537

$1.15 BGN 2.00

44.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 Ft 167

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-41.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.04 Ft 2,599

$4.21 BGN 7.33

90.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.45 Ft 1,760

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-26.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 Ft 407

$1.15 BGN 2.01

9.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 Ft 643

$1.85 BGN 3.23

7.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 Ft 527

$0.87 BGN 1.51

87.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.42 Ft 9,505

$28.53 BGN 49.65

3.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 Ft 975

$1.68 BGN 2.93

79.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 Ft 533

$0.94 BGN 1.63

75.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.15 Ft 5,864

$15.35 BGN 26.70

18.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 Ft 615

$1.69 BGN 2.94

12.43%

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

$29.5K Ft 9.5M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-1.04%

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

$37.9K Ft 12.2M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

44.92%

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

$127 Ft 40.9K

$156 BGN 272

-18.80%

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

$21.61 Ft 6,981

$21.56 BGN 37.52

0.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.17 Ft 6,515

$15.24 BGN 26.51

32.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.93 Ft 15.2K

$46.08 BGN 80.2

1.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.12 Ft 9,409

$27.92 BGN 48.58

4.30%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 Ft 2,775

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-15.62%

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

$248 Ft 80.2K

$774 BGN 1,347

-67.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,658 Ft 2.2M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-48.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 Ft 36.9K

$89.9 BGN 157

26.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.26 Ft 10.4K

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-21.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 Ft 30.4K

$105 BGN 183

-10.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 Ft 36.7K

$107 BGN 186

6.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$523 Ft 168.9K

$783 BGN 1,362

-33.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 Ft 122.9K

$597 BGN 1,038

-36.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 Ft 245.8K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-49.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$603 Ft 194.7K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-41.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,103 Ft 1.0M

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-28.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,320 Ft 749.4K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-27.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,234 Ft 398.7K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-28.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

2.89

130.80%

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

Last update for Szeged: October 10, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szeged

$380 31%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 57% $217

Groceries & Markets

Szeged

$251 20.5%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 15.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szeged

$169 13.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 14.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Szeged

$159 13%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 3.1% $5

Eating Out

Szeged

$156 12.8%

Sofia

$255 16% 62.9% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Szeged

$64 5.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 3.6% $2.3

Getting Around

Szeged

$47 3.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 18.7% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $523 in Szeged versus $783 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 41% 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 $57.0 in Szeged versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $251 vs $290 – making Szeged the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szeged

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:27 8:27 PM

21:27 9:27 PM

1 h ahead of Szeged

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,930

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

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).

USD to HUF in detail →

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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

Szeged vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,227 in Szeged, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,840 per month in Szeged and $2,391 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Szeged, 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 $1,227 in Szeged and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 30%.

Public transport costs about 3% less in Szeged. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szeged, where all-in costs run around $1,227, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szeged 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 $1,227 in Szeged 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 Szeged. 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.