Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szekszard and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Szekszard: $1,184 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Szekszard
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Szekszard Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Szekszard

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,184

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,184 per month in Szekszard vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Szekszard $1,184
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,818 per month in Szekszard vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Szekszard $1,818
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,452 per month in Szekszard vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Szekszard $2,452
Sofia $3,361

Szekszard is about 26% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Szekszard sits 12% below the global median, while Sofia is 18% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.34 Ft 3,986

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-26.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.10 Ft 14.9K

$65.8 BGN 115

-29.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.09 Ft 2,938

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-19.70%

Cappuccino

$1.51 Ft 489

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-55.98%

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

$1.92 Ft 620

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-20.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 Ft 371

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-37.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.02 Ft 976

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-18.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 Ft 889

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-39.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Ft 366

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 Ft 448

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-10.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 Ft 761

$2.33 BGN 4.05

1.29%

Eggs

$3.14 Ft 1,014

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 Ft 3,542

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-6.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.42 Ft 2,075

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-27.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.68 Ft 4,420

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-21.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 Ft 534

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-23.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 Ft 636

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-0.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.94 Ft 628

$1.93 BGN 3.37

0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.68 Ft 866

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-36.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 Ft 338

$1.04 BGN 1.80

0.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 Ft 419

$0.85 BGN 1.48

52.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 Ft 544

$1.15 BGN 2.00

46.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 Ft 153

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-47.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.74 Ft 2,502

$4.21 BGN 7.33

83.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 Ft 1,944

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-19.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 Ft 366

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-1.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 Ft 489

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-18.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.21 Ft 390

$0.87 BGN 1.51

39.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.94 Ft 8,703

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-5.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.15 Ft 1,018

$1.68 BGN 2.93

87.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 Ft 485

$0.94 BGN 1.63

59.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.22 Ft 5,886

$15.35 BGN 26.70

18.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Ft 590

$1.69 BGN 2.94

8.28%

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

$32.7K Ft 10.6M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

9.62%

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

$33.5K Ft 10.8M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

28.07%

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

$120 Ft 38.9K

$156 BGN 272

-22.89%

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

$18.05 Ft 5,833

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-16.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.16 Ft 7,482

$15.24 BGN 26.51

51.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.14 Ft 15.2K

$46.08 BGN 80.2

2.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.37 Ft 5,935

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-34.20%

Cinema Ticket

$7.49 Ft 2,419

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-26.42%

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

$252 Ft 81.5K

$774 BGN 1,347

-67.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,566 Ft 2.8M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-33.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 Ft 20.0K

$89.9 BGN 157

-31.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.55 Ft 7,932

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-40.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 Ft 29.6K

$105 BGN 183

-12.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.4 Ft 24.7K

$107 BGN 186

-28.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 Ft 169.3K

$783 BGN 1,362

-33.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 Ft 126.9K

$597 BGN 1,038

-34.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 Ft 243.1K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-50.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$650 Ft 209.9K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-36.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,584 Ft 511.7K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-63.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,204 Ft 388.9K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-62.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 Ft 296.8K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-47.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

2.89

185.47%

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

Last update for Szekszard: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szekszard

$393 33.2%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 52% $204

Groceries & Markets

Szekszard

$233 19.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 24.5% $57

Eating Out

Szekszard

$177 15%

Sofia

$255 16% 43.9% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szekszard

$162 13.7%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 19.4% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Szekszard

$114 9.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 34.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Szekszard

$62 5.3%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 7% $4.3

Getting Around

Szekszard

$42 3.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 9.5% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Szekszard 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 89% 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 $46.00 in Szekszard versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $290 – making Szekszard the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szekszard

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

20:38 8:38 PM

21:38 9:38 PM

1 h ahead of Szekszard

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,707

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 17, 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 17, 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Szekszard Sofia 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Szekszard
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

Szekszard vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,184 in Szekszard, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 35% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,775 per month in Szekszard 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 Szekszard, 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 $1,184 in Szekszard and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 35%.

Public transport costs about 6% less in Szekszard. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Szekszard, where all-in costs run around $1,184, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szekszard 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 $1,184 in Szekszard 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 Szekszard. 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.