Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zgorzelec and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Zgorzelec: $1,412 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. The total is higher in Sofia despite lower rent and utilities.

69

Cost of Living Index in Zgorzelec
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Zgorzelec Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Zgorzelec

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,412

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,412 per month in Zgorzelec vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

Zgorzelec $1,412
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $2,062 per month in Zgorzelec vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

Zgorzelec $2,062
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $2,712 per month in Zgorzelec vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

Zgorzelec $2,712
Sofia $3,380

Zgorzelec is about 12% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Zgorzelec and Sofia sit above the global median – Zgorzelec by 4%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 zł 34.83

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-47.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 zł 197

$68.3 BGN 119

-25.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 zł 29.70

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-34.17%

Cappuccino

$3.09 zł 12.02

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-9.91%

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

$0.88 zł 3.40

$2.34 BGN 4.08

-62.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 zł 6.09

$1.83 BGN 3.19

-14.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.49 zł 5.77

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-56.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 zł 7.79

$4.44 BGN 7.73

-54.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 zł 3.52

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-53.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 zł 4.67

$1.49 BGN 2.59

-19.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 zł 5.54

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-38.63%

Eggs

$3.60 zł 13.97

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-18.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 zł 33.79

$11.54 BGN 20.08

-24.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.13 zł 23.83

$8.88 BGN 15.44

-30.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 zł 51.2

$17.51 BGN 30.46

-24.73%

Apples (1kg)

$0.86 zł 3.32

$2.15 BGN 3.74

-60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 zł 6.04

$2.07 BGN 3.60

-25.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 zł 6.53

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-12.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 zł 5.81

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-64.71%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 zł 2.57

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-35.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 zł 3.91

$0.88 BGN 1.54

14.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 zł 4.76

$1.19 BGN 2.07

3.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 zł 2.68

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-22.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.72 zł 18.35

$4.23 BGN 7.35

11.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 zł 29.36

$7.87 BGN 13.69

-3.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 zł 3.39

$1.18 BGN 2.06

-26.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 zł 5.45

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-25.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.05 zł 4.07

$0.93 BGN 1.62

12.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.83 zł 120

$28.30 BGN 49.24

8.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 zł 8.66

$1.68 BGN 2.93

32.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 zł 3.85

$0.96 BGN 1.68

3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.86 zł 49.96

$15.36 BGN 26.73

-16.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 zł 6.47

$1.77 BGN 3.09

-5.65%

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

$30.9K zł 119.9K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

1.18%

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

$26.7K zł 103.9K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

6.66%

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

$295 zł 1,147

$157 BGN 273

88.03%

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

$7.65 zł 29.71

$21.12 BGN 36.74

-63.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.94 zł 73.6

$15.32 BGN 26.65

23.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.09 zł 148

$46.39 BGN 80.7

-17.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.82 zł 84.8

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-22.32%

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 zł 29.35

$10.04 BGN 17.46

-24.80%

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

$483 zł 1,875

$775 BGN 1,348

-37.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 zł 28.9K

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

-40.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.2 zł 300

$88.1 BGN 153

-12.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.43 zł 145

$41.39 BGN 72.0

-9.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.4 zł 332

$107 BGN 186

-20.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 zł 420

$106 BGN 185

1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 zł 2,341

$770 BGN 1,340

-21.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 zł 1,935

$602 BGN 1,048

-17.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 zł 3,860

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-36.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$815 zł 3,168

$1,036 BGN 1,803

-21.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,924 zł 11.4K

$4,567 BGN 7,946

-35.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,192 zł 8,515

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-30.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,356 zł 5,270

$1,742 BGN 3,031

-22.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.63

2.89

129.41%

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

Last update for Zgorzelec: October 19, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zgorzelec

$498 35.3%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 20.9% $104

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zgorzelec

$322 22.8%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 39.9% $128

Groceries & Markets

Zgorzelec

$205 14.5%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 42.1% $86

Eating Out

Zgorzelec

$153 10.8%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 66.3% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Zgorzelec

$139 9.8%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 11.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Zgorzelec

$53 3.8%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 24.9% $13

Getting Around

Zgorzelec

$42 3%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 8.7% $3.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Zgorzelec versus $770 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 28% 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 $51.0 in Zgorzelec versus $68.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $205 vs $291 – making Zgorzelec the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Zgorzelec

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

18:00 6:00 PM

19:00 7:00 PM

1 h ahead of Zgorzelec

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,534

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.257 USD

1 PLN = 0.229 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.89 PLN (1 PLN = 0.257 USD). 1 EUR = 4.37 PLN (1 PLN = 0.229 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zgorzelec Sofia 1,130 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Zgorzelec
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

Zgorzelec vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,412 in Zgorzelec, $1,600 in Sofia – roughly 13% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,118 per month in Zgorzelec and $2,400 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zgorzelec, 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 $1,412 in Zgorzelec and $1,600 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 13%.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Zgorzelec. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Zgorzelec, where all-in costs run around $1,412, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Zgorzelec 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 $1,412 in Zgorzelec to $1,600 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 Zgorzelec. 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.