Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,750 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,750

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Zagreb vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Zagreb $1,750
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,611 per month in Zagreb vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Zagreb $2,611
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,472 per month in Zagreb vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Zagreb $3,472
Sofia $3,324

Zagreb costs about 10% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zagreb and Sofia sit above the global median – Zagreb by 31%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 €11.12

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-27.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 €56.3

$66.9 BGN 117

-5.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.30 €7.40

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-29.48%

Cappuccino

$2.55 €2.27

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-25.44%

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

$2.97 €2.65

$2.42 BGN 4.23

22.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.86 BGN 3.26

41.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.31 €2.95

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-0.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 €4.02

$4.53 BGN 7.92

-0.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-33.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.51 BGN 2.64

9.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.70 €2.41

$2.21 BGN 3.88

22.17%

Eggs

$4.00 €3.57

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-9.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.17 €13.54

$11.56 BGN 20.22

31.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.71

$8.79 BGN 15.38

36.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.74

$16.97 BGN 29.71

3.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.06

$2.17 BGN 3.79

6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-15.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.84 BGN 3.22

12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-41.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.03 BGN 1.80

31.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 €1.06

$0.93 BGN 1.62

26.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-1.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.92 BGN 1.62

46.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.91 €5.27

$4.30 BGN 7.53

37.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.20 €9.10

$7.33 BGN 12.83

39.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.18 BGN 2.06

38.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.87 BGN 3.28

37.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 €0.54

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-29.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 €47.57

$28.14 BGN 49.24

89.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.74 BGN 3.04

27.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.96 BGN 1.68

48.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.01 €10.72

$15.54 BGN 27.19

-22.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.79 BGN 3.14

3.35%

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

$28.4K €25.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-5.14%

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

$27.5K €24.6K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

4.42%

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

$218 €195

$156 BGN 273

40.00%

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

$23.68 €21.13

$21.21 BGN 37.11

11.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.14 €36.71

$15.64 BGN 27.37

163.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.2 €44.75

$46.76 BGN 81.8

7.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.69 €16.68

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-32.62%

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 €7.82

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-12.57%

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

$489 €436

$766 BGN 1,341

-36.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.0K €8,926

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-21.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.0

$89.7 BGN 157

18.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.58 €38.00

$40.88 BGN 71.5

4.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 €85.9

$106 BGN 186

-9.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.5

$105 BGN 183

3.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$861 €768

$796 BGN 1,393

8.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$607 BGN 1,063

7.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 €1,302

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-6.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,038 €926

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-2.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,152 €4,598

$4,357 BGN 7,626

18.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,551 €3,169

$3,250 BGN 5,688

9.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,984 €1,771

$1,740 BGN 3,044

14.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

2.89

14.19%

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

Last update for Zagreb: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$652 37.3%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 6.9% $45

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$318 18.2%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 9.7% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$283 16.2%

Sofia

$193 12% 31.9% $90

Eating Out

Zagreb

$203 11.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 26.1% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$159 9.1%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 3.4% $5.4

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$68 3.9%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 1.3% $0.9

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 41.4% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $861 in Zagreb 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 14% higher in Zagreb, 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 $63.0 in Zagreb versus $67.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $318 in Zagreb vs $287 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zagreb Sofia 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
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

Zagreb vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,750 in Zagreb, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,625 per month in Zagreb 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 $1,750 in Zagreb and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 10%.

Public transport costs about 89% 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 Zagreb at $1,750. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zagreb 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 $1,589 in Sofia to $1,750 in Zagreb. 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, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.