Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Sofia 
| Indices Difference |  |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living in Sofia is 0.5% higher than in Bucharest (excluding rent) | |
| Cost of Living Including Rent in Sofia is 1.7% higher than in Bucharest | |
| Rent Prices in Sofia are 5.8% higher than in Bucharest | |
| Restaurant Prices in Sofia are 14.4% lower than in Bucharest | |
| Groceries Prices in Sofia are 9.2% higher than in Bucharest | |
| Local Purchasing Power in Sofia is 12.8% higher than in Bucharest | |
Restaurants | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant |
60.00 lei (23.00 лв) |
52.18 lei (20.00 лв) |
-13.0 % |
| Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course |
277.63 lei (106.40 лв) |
221.78 lei (85.00 лв) |
-20.1 % |
| McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) |
35.00 lei (13.41 лв) |
39.14 lei (15.00 лв) |
+11.8 % |
| Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) |
15.00 lei (5.75 лв) |
13.05 lei (5.00 лв) |
-13.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
17.00 lei (6.52 лв) |
14.35 lei (5.50 лв) |
-15.6 % |
| Cappuccino (regular) |
14.55 lei (5.57 лв) |
11.75 lei (4.50 лв) |
-19.2 % |
| Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) |
9.84 lei (3.77 лв) |
7.71 lei (2.96 лв) |
-21.6 % |
| Water (12 oz small bottle) |
10.36 lei (3.97 лв) |
5.80 lei (2.22 лв) |
-44.1 % |
Markets | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Milk (regular), (1 gallon) |
29.53 lei (11.32 лв) |
31.86 lei (12.21 лв) |
+7.9 % |
| Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) |
5.44 lei (2.09 лв) |
4.90 lei (1.88 лв) |
-9.9 % |
| Rice (white), (1 lb) |
3.80 lei (1.46 лв) |
4.09 lei (1.57 лв) |
+7.6 % |
| Eggs (regular) (12) |
15.56 lei (5.96 лв) |
17.24 lei (6.61 лв) |
+10.8 % |
| Local Cheese (1 lb) |
18.87 lei (7.23 лв) |
24.95 lei (9.56 лв) |
+32.2 % |
| Chicken Fillets (1 lb) |
13.58 lei (5.21 лв) |
17.18 lei (6.58 лв) |
+26.5 % |
| Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) |
23.79 lei (9.12 лв) |
26.30 lei (10.08 лв) |
+10.5 % |
| Apples (1 lb) |
2.65 lei (1.01 лв) |
3.71 lei (1.42 лв) |
+40.2 % |
| Banana (1 lb) |
3.47 lei (1.33 лв) |
3.88 lei (1.49 лв) |
+11.8 % |
| Oranges (1 lb) |
3.50 lei (1.34 лв) |
3.91 lei (1.50 лв) |
+11.6 % |
| Tomato (1 lb) |
4.63 lei (1.77 лв) |
5.58 lei (2.14 лв) |
+20.5 % |
| Potato (1 lb) |
1.99 lei (0.76 лв) |
2.25 lei (0.86 лв) |
+12.8 % |
| Onion (1 lb) |
1.93 lei (0.74 лв) |
2.05 lei (0.79 лв) |
+6.4 % |
| Lettuce (1 head) |
4.21 lei (1.61 лв) |
5.24 lei (2.01 лв) |
+24.3 % |
| Water (1.5 liter bottle) |
4.07 lei (1.56 лв) |
3.17 lei (1.21 лв) |
-22.1 % |
| Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) |
35.00 lei (13.41 лв) |
33.92 lei (13.00 лв) |
-3.1 % |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) |
5.45 lei (2.09 лв) |
4.74 lei (1.82 лв) |
-13.0 % |
| Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) |
8.51 lei (3.26 лв) |
7.85 lei (3.01 лв) |
-7.8 % |
| Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) |
28.00 lei (10.73 лв) |
16.96 lei (6.50 лв) |
-39.4 % |
Transportation | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| One-way Ticket (Local Transport) |
5.00 lei (1.92 лв) |
4.17 lei (1.60 лв) |
-16.5 % |
| Monthly Pass (Regular Price) |
85.00 lei (32.58 лв) |
130.46 lei (50.00 лв) |
+53.5 % |
| Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) |
3.00 lei (1.15 лв) |
6.52 lei (2.50 лв) |
+117.4 % |
| Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) |
4.83 lei (1.85 лв) |
6.51 lei (2.49 лв) |
+34.8 % |
| Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) |
30.00 lei (11.50 лв) |
62.62 lei (24.00 лв) |
+108.7 % |
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
27.61 lei (10.58 лв) |
25.79 lei (9.89 лв) |
-6.6 % |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) |
123,858.21 lei (47,470.05 лв) |
142,612.92 lei (54,658.00 лв) |
+15.1 % |
| Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) |
125,032.36 lei (47,920.05 лв) |
127,630.97 lei (48,916.00 лв) |
+2.1 % |
Utilities (Monthly) | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment |
786.21 lei (301.33 лв) |
683.70 lei (262.04 лв) |
-13.0 % |
| Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data |
39.42 lei (15.11 лв) |
80.99 lei (31.04 лв) |
+105.5 % |
| Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) |
49.47 lei (18.96 лв) |
68.06 lei (26.08 лв) |
+37.6 % |
Sports And Leisure | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult |
231.29 lei (88.64 лв) |
187.81 lei (71.98 лв) |
-18.8 % |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) |
124.08 lei (47.56 лв) |
93.64 lei (35.89 лв) |
-24.5 % |
| Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat |
40.00 lei (15.33 лв) |
41.75 lei (16.00 лв) |
+4.4 % |
Childcare | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child |
2,868.36 lei (1,099.33 лв) |
2,734.75 lei (1,048.12 лв) |
-4.7 % |
| International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child |
56,772.19 lei (21,758.58 лв) |
33,425.55 lei (12,810.72 лв) |
-41.1 % |
Clothing And Shoes | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) |
352.38 lei (135.05 лв) |
302.96 lei (116.11 лв) |
-14.0 % |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) |
197.04 lei (75.52 лв) |
157.26 lei (60.27 лв) |
-20.2 % |
| 1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) |
385.27 lei (147.66 лв) |
470.15 lei (180.19 лв) |
+22.0 % |
| 1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes |
476.42 lei (182.59 лв) |
520.46 lei (199.47 лв) |
+9.2 % |
Rent Per Month | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre |
2,878.67 lei (1,103.28 лв) |
2,992.21 lei (1,146.80 лв) |
+3.9 % |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre |
1,916.59 lei (734.56 лв) |
2,235.06 lei (856.61 лв) |
+16.6 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre |
5,506.90 lei (2,110.58 лв) |
5,571.47 lei (2,135.33 лв) |
+1.2 % |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre |
3,544.83 lei (1,358.60 лв) |
3,849.50 lei (1,475.36 лв) |
+8.6 % |
Buy Apartment Price | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre |
1,355.80 lei (519.63 лв) |
1,482.18 lei (568.06 лв) |
+9.3 % |
| Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre |
796.08 lei (305.11 лв) |
988.29 lei (378.77 лв) |
+24.1 % |
Salaries And Financing | Bucharest Edit |
Sofia Edit | |
| Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) |
5,876.24 lei (2,252.13 лв) |
6,737.51 lei (2,582.23 лв) |
+14.7 % |
| Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 7.16 | 3.13 | -56.3 % |
| Last update: | May 2025 | May 2025 | |
| Contributors in the past 12 months: | 435 | 483 |
Moving to Bucharest? Explore:
Moving to Sofia? Explore:
Cities near Bucharest: | Cost of Living in Bolintin-Vale | 23.86 miles |
| Cost of Living in Ploiesti | 39.03 miles |
| Cost of Living in Campina | 59.84 miles |
| Cost of Living in Pitesti | 75.29 miles |
| Cost of Living in Calarasi | 80.25 miles |
| Cost of Living in Brasov | 106.02 miles |
| Cost of Living in Focsani | 113.83 miles |
| Cost of Living in Braila | 135.65 miles |
| Cost of Living in Constanta | 138.37 miles |
| Cost of Living in Craiova | 144.55 miles |
Cities near Sofia: | Cost of Living in Dupnica | 40.45 miles |
| Cost of Living in Blagoevgrad | 60.12 miles |
| Cost of Living in Plovdiv | 89.49 miles |
| Cost of Living in Pleven | 102.21 miles |
| Cost of Living in Veliko Tarnovo | 138.42 miles |
| Cost of Living in Vidin | 155.77 miles |
| Cost of Living in Sliven | 185.51 miles |
| Cost of Living in Ruse | 193.95 miles |