Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szolnok and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Szolnok: $1,106 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Szolnok
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Szolnok Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Szolnok

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,106

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in Szolnok vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Szolnok $1,106
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,692 per month in Szolnok vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Szolnok $1,692
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Szolnok vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Szolnok $2,278
Sofia $3,361

Szolnok is about 31% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.60 Ft 3,101

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-43.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.62 Ft 15.1K

$65.8 BGN 115

-29.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 Ft 2,585

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-29.33%

Cappuccino

$2.30 Ft 741

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-32.94%

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

$2.01 Ft 648

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-16.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 Ft 386

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-35.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 Ft 823

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-31.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 Ft 864

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-41.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.92 Ft 297

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-54.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 Ft 399

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.62 Ft 523

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-30.47%

Eggs

$3.08 Ft 994

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-29.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.29 Ft 2,356

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-38.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 Ft 2,132

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-25.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 Ft 4,291

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-23.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 Ft 464

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-33.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 Ft 562

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-12.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 Ft 492

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-21.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.30 Ft 744

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-45.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 Ft 220

$1.04 BGN 1.80

-34.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.73 Ft 236

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-14.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 Ft 330

$1.15 BGN 2.00

-11.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 Ft 120

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-58.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 Ft 2,211

$4.21 BGN 7.33

62.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.62 Ft 1,168

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-51.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 Ft 286

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-22.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 Ft 420

$1.85 BGN 3.23

-29.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.06 Ft 342

$0.87 BGN 1.51

21.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.01 Ft 8,402

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-8.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 Ft 912

$1.68 BGN 2.93

67.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 Ft 724

$0.94 BGN 1.63

138.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.84 Ft 4,794

$15.35 BGN 26.70

-3.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 588

$1.69 BGN 2.94

7.69%

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

$27.5K Ft 8.9M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-7.77%

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

$36.6K Ft 11.8M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

40.17%

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

$128 Ft 41.3K

$156 BGN 272

-18.02%

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

$29.81 Ft 9,631

$21.56 BGN 37.52

38.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.14 Ft 7,152

$15.24 BGN 26.51

45.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.80 Ft 13.5K

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-9.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 Ft 5,835

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-35.32%

Cinema Ticket

$3.37 Ft 1,088

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-66.90%

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

$151 Ft 48.8K

$774 BGN 1,347

-80.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,944 Ft 1.6M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-61.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$81.0 Ft 26.2K

$89.9 BGN 157

-9.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 Ft 16.2K

$41.29 BGN 71.8

21.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 Ft 28.6K

$105 BGN 183

-15.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 Ft 37.6K

$107 BGN 186

9.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$397 Ft 128.1K

$783 BGN 1,362

-49.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$327 Ft 105.5K

$597 BGN 1,038

-45.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$625 Ft 201.9K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-58.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$504 Ft 162.9K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-51.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,013 Ft 650.4K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-53.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,598 Ft 516.2K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-49.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,059 Ft 342.1K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-38.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.69

2.89

166.09%

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

Last update for Szolnok: 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

Szolnok

$327 29.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 82.8% $270

Groceries & Markets

Szolnok

$197 17.8%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 47.8% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szolnok

$180 16.3%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 7.2% $13

Eating Out

Szolnok

$159 14.4%

Sofia

$255 16% 60% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Szolnok

$151 13.7%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 2% $3

Sport & Entertainment

Szolnok

$49 4.4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 36.9% $18

Getting Around

Szolnok

$44 4%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 13.3% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Szolnok 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 64% 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 $47.00 in Szolnok versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $290 – making Szolnok the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szolnok

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

04:09 4:09 AM

1 h ahead of Szolnok

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

66,426

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 20, 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 20, 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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Between locations

Szolnok Sofia 560 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Szolnok
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

Szolnok vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,106 in Szolnok, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 44% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,660 per month in Szolnok 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 Szolnok, 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 $1,106 in Szolnok and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 44%.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Szolnok. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Szolnok, where all-in costs run around $1,106, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szolnok 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 $1,106 in Szolnok 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 Szolnok. 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.