Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szombathely and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Szombathely: $1,231 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 Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,231

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Szombathely vs $1,594 in Sofia, rent included.

Szombathely $1,231
Sofia $1,594

A couple spends around $1,949 per month in Szombathely vs $2,478 in Sofia, rent included.

Szombathely $1,949
Sofia $2,478

A family of three spends $2,666 per month in Szombathely vs $3,361 in Sofia, rent included.

Szombathely $2,666
Sofia $3,361

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 Ft 3,724

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-31.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 Ft 17.2K

$65.8 BGN 115

-18.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 Ft 2,866

$11.32 BGN 19.69

-21.47%

Cappuccino

$2.37 Ft 763

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-30.90%

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

$1.35 Ft 434

$2.41 BGN 4.19

-43.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 413

$1.85 BGN 3.22

-30.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 Ft 555

$3.70 BGN 6.44

-53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 Ft 749

$4.58 BGN 7.97

-49.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Ft 389

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-40.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 508

$1.56 BGN 2.72

0.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 763

$2.33 BGN 4.05

1.72%

Eggs

$3.14 Ft 1,014

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-27.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 Ft 3,349

$11.76 BGN 20.47

-11.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 Ft 2,111

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-25.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 Ft 5,153

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-8.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Ft 716

$2.15 BGN 3.74

3.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$1.98 BGN 3.44

3.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 Ft 813

$1.93 BGN 3.37

30.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 Ft 1,089

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-20.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Ft 349

$1.04 BGN 1.80

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 Ft 450

$0.85 BGN 1.48

63.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 Ft 605

$1.15 BGN 2.00

63.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 Ft 175

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-39.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.82 Ft 2,842

$4.21 BGN 7.33

109.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.54 Ft 1,462

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-39.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Ft 390

$1.15 BGN 2.01

5.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 Ft 846

$1.85 BGN 3.23

41.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 Ft 284

$0.87 BGN 1.51

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.09 Ft 8,734

$28.53 BGN 49.65

-5.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Ft 865

$1.68 BGN 2.93

59.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 441

$0.94 BGN 1.63

45.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 Ft 7,620

$15.35 BGN 26.70

54.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 596

$1.69 BGN 2.94

9.47%

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

$28.8K Ft 9.3M

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

-3.31%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

27.76%

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

$168 Ft 54.3K

$156 BGN 272

7.91%

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

$20.42 Ft 6,584

$21.56 BGN 37.52

-5.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.92 Ft 6,744

$15.24 BGN 26.51

37.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 Ft 15.1K

$46.08 BGN 80.2

1.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.68 Ft 6,666

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-25.93%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 Ft 1,500

$10.18 BGN 17.72

-54.32%

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

$423 Ft 136.2K

$774 BGN 1,347

-45.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,637 Ft 2.5M

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-40.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 Ft 33.0K

$89.9 BGN 157

13.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 Ft 16.3K

$41.29 BGN 71.8

22.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 Ft 31.2K

$105 BGN 183

-7.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Ft 35.8K

$107 BGN 186

4.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 Ft 173.3K

$783 BGN 1,362

-31.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 Ft 109.3K

$597 BGN 1,038

-43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 Ft 243.1K

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-50.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 Ft 208.0K

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-37.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,402 Ft 774.2K

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-44.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 Ft 638.3K

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-37.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,175 Ft 378.9K

$1,735 BGN 3,019

-32.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

2.89

159.52%

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

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szombathely

$339 27.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 76.1% $258

Groceries & Markets

Szombathely

$252 20.5%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 15.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szombathely

$210 17%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 8.1% $17

Eating Out

Szombathely

$171 13.9%

Sofia

$255 16% 48.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Szombathely

$162 13.2%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 5% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Szombathely

$56 4.6%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 18.1% $10

Getting Around

Szombathely

$40 3.3%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 4.4% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $538 in Szombathely 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 48% 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 $53.0 in Szombathely versus $66.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $290 – making Szombathely the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

1 h ahead of Szombathely

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,757

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Szombathely Sofia 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Szombathely
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

Szombathely vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,231 in Szombathely, $1,594 in Sofia – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Szombathely 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 Szombathely, 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 $1,231 in Szombathely and $1,594 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Szombathely. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Szombathely, where all-in costs run around $1,231, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Szombathely 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 $1,231 in Szombathely 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 Szombathely. 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.