Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Warsaw and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $2,045 in Warsaw, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Warsaw outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

100

Cost of Living Index in Warsaw
Learn more

Warsaw Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Warsaw

🇵🇱 Poland

$2,045

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,045 per month in Warsaw vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Warsaw $2,045
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,944 per month in Warsaw vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Warsaw $2,944
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,843 per month in Warsaw vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Warsaw $3,843
Sofia $3,324

Warsaw costs about 29% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Warsaw and Sofia sit above the global median – Warsaw by 53%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 zł 44.74

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-32.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 zł 239

$66.9 BGN 117

-8.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 zł 40.58

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-11.64%

Cappuccino

$4.36 zł 17.03

$3.42 BGN 5.99

27.49%

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

$2.22 zł 8.65

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-8.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 zł 8.73

$1.86 BGN 3.26

20.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.67 zł 18.24

$3.33 BGN 5.83

40.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.20 zł 20.28

$4.53 BGN 7.92

14.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 zł 4.11

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-45.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 zł 6.00

$1.51 BGN 2.64

1.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 zł 6.15

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-28.51%

Eggs

$3.81 zł 14.88

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-13.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 zł 34.00

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-24.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 zł 25.34

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-26.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 zł 58.0

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-12.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.20 zł 4.70

$2.17 BGN 3.79

-44.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.51

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-18.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 zł 6.38

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-10.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 zł 16.58

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-0.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.92 zł 3.60

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-10.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 zł 3.40

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-6.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 zł 5.77

$1.20 BGN 2.11

23.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 zł 2.51

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-30.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.37 zł 24.86

$4.30 BGN 7.53

48.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.37 zł 24.84

$7.33 BGN 12.83

-13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 zł 4.25

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 zł 6.37

$1.87 BGN 3.28

-12.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 zł 4.35

$0.87 BGN 1.52

28.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 zł 110

$28.14 BGN 49.24

0.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 zł 10.24

$1.74 BGN 3.04

51.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 zł 4.93

$0.96 BGN 1.68

31.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 50.2

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-17.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 zł 6.64

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-5.03%

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

$30.2K zł 118.0K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

0.83%

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

$29.7K zł 116.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

12.79%

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

$352 zł 1,375

$156 BGN 273

125.87%

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

$9.15 zł 35.71

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-56.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.14 zł 63.0

$15.64 BGN 27.37

3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.94 zł 179

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-1.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.38 zł 111

$27.74 BGN 48.54

2.31%

Cinema Ticket

$8.95 zł 34.93

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-10.68%

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

$600 zł 2,339

$766 BGN 1,341

-21.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K zł 55.7K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

11.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 zł 436

$89.7 BGN 157

24.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.03 zł 160

$40.88 BGN 71.5

0.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 zł 418

$106 BGN 186

1.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 zł 431

$105 BGN 183

5.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 zł 4,594

$796 BGN 1,393

47.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$977 zł 3,812

$607 BGN 1,063

60.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 zł 8,181

$1,563 BGN 2,735

34.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,580 zł 6,166

$1,060 BGN 1,855

49.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,960 zł 23.3K

$4,357 BGN 7,626

36.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,860 zł 15.1K

$3,250 BGN 5,688

18.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,096 zł 8,178

$1,740 BGN 3,044

20.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.62

2.89

129.07%

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

Last update for Warsaw: October 5, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Warsaw

$977 46.8%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 37.8% $369

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Warsaw

$378 18.1%

Sofia

$193 12% 48.9% $185

Groceries & Markets

Warsaw

$234 11.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 22.8% $53

Eating Out

Warsaw

$227 10.9%

Sofia

$256 16% 12.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Warsaw

$167 8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 7.9% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Warsaw

$64 3.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 4.6% $3

Getting Around

Warsaw

$42 2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 8.5% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,177 in Warsaw 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 20% higher in Warsaw, 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 $61.0 in Warsaw versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $287 – making Warsaw the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Warsaw

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:32 3:32 AM

04:32 4:32 AM

1 h ahead of Warsaw

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,861,599 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.9 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Warsaw Sofia 1,070 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Warsaw
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

Warsaw vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,045 in Warsaw, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,067 per month in Warsaw 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 $2,045 in Warsaw and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 1% 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 Warsaw at $2,045. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Warsaw it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Warsaw has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $2,045 in Warsaw. 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, Warsaw makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.