How Sofia and Budapest compare on cost, visas, working hours, weather, internet and safety. Every figure comes from our city guides and tools, checked and dated there.
The short answer
Sofia Pick it for a lower visa income bar.
Budapest Pick it for faster internet.
Everyday costsEven
What we have checked of rent, a coworking desk, weekday lunches and getting around comes to $874 to $1,120 (£657 to £839) a month in Sofia, against $1,030 to $1,250 (£770 to £940) in Budapest. We can't call it: Sofia has no checked figure for a desk, so that total leaves it out.
The visaSofia
Sofia asks for less income. Sofia: Digital nomad residence permit, about $2,570 to $2,900 a month (EUR 27,533 a year, sources differ). Budapest: White Card, about $3,370 a month (EUR 3,000 a month).
A London 9 to 5Even
Normal hours in both: 11:00 to 19:00 in Sofia, 10:00 to 18:00 in Budapest.
A New York 9 to 5Even
A late finish in both: 16:00 to 00:00 in Sofia, 15:00 to 23:00 in Budapest.
WeatherEven
Comfortable months on our best-time rule: 5 in Sofia, 5 in Budapest. Both are comfortable in May, June, July, August and September.
InternetBudapest
Budapest is faster. Typical download speed: 94 Mbps in Sofia, 252 Mbps in Budapest, from each guide.
SafetyEven
The US State Department puts both countries at level 1. Watch for aTM skimming and taxi overcharging in Sofia; inflated bar bills and taxis in Budapest.
Side by side
Measure
Sofia
Budapest
Country
Bulgaria
Hungary
Language
—
Hungarian
Currency
Euro (EUR)
Hungarian forint (HUF)
Plugs
Type C and F, 230V
Type C and F, 230V
Time zone
UTC+3 today
UTC+2 today
A month's basics
$874 to $1,120 (£657 to £839), with a desk missing
$1,030 to $1,250 (£770 to £940)
Remote work visa
Digital nomad residence permit
White Card
Income needed
About $2,570 to $2,900 a month (EUR 27,533 a year, sources differ)
About $3,370 a month (EUR 3,000 a month)
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. American: 90 days or less, with a passport valid three months beyond leaving Schengen
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
Tax residency
More than 183 days in any 12 months, or your centre of vital interests in Bulgaria
183 days in a calendar year, or sooner if your only home or your centre of vital interests is in Hungary. Then a flat 15 per cent
Download speed
94 Mbps
252 Mbps
Comfortable months
May, June, July, August and September
May, June, July, August and September
US travel advice
Level 1: normal precautions
Level 1: normal precautions
Meetups
1 regular group still running
3 regular groups still running
Dollars and pounds at today's exchange rate. Download speeds are the typical figure from each guide, which says where it comes from: some are for the city, some for the whole country, so treat a small gap as no gap.
What a month costs
Rent, a coworking desk, a cheap lunch on each of 22 working days, and getting around: the same four costs our budget calculator uses. The rent figures aren't always the same kind of figure (some are furnished one-beds, some are averages across every size of flat), so read the note under each.
Sofia
$874 to $1,120£657 to £839 a month
Rent
$673 to $841One-bed, city centre, from a law firm's blog on its clients' leases, April 2026. Furnished or not is not stated. Outside the centre, EUR 450 to 550. EUR 600 to 750
A desk
No checked figureNo checked coworking price yet: betahaus gives day passes only on request
Weekday lunches
$173 to $247Soup, a main and bread at a neighbourhood restaurant, EUR 7 to 10 each, 22 working days
Getting around
$29Personalised monthly card, all daytime lines. EUR 25.50
About $2,570 to $2,900 a month (EUR 27,533 a year, sources differ); in pounds, about £1,930 to £2,180 a month
How long
One year, extendable; two law firms say by one more year only
What it leads to
No, says one law firm: the permit does not lead to permanent residence, and time on it does not count. Not confirmed on an official page
Without a visa
British passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. American: 90 days or less, with a passport valid three months beyond leaving Schengen
The catch. You must first get a Type D visa from a Bulgarian consulate where you are a national or resident, even if you can otherwise enter visa-free, which takes one to two months. Your employer or clients must be outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, with none in Bulgaria, and the bar rises with every minimum-wage increase.
Budapest
White Card
Income needed
About $3,370 a month (EUR 3,000 a month); in pounds, about £2,530 a month
How long
One year, renewable once: two years at most
What it leads to
Nowhere: holders may not be granted a national residence card
Without a visa
British and American passports: 90 days in any 180 across Schengen
The catch. Nobody can join you on it, and owning even a share in a Hungarian company gets it withdrawn.
The average high in °C each month, coloured by the rule on our best-time page: green is a high of 20 to 32°C with under 150mm of rain; red is a high of 38°C or more or under 12°C, 250mm of rain or more, or 33°C or more with 150mm of rain or more. Hover over a month for its rain.
The US level is for the whole country, as the State Department sets it, and some countries have stricter advice for particular regions.
Who each one suits
From each city guide, word for word.
Sofia
It suits
Remote employees, freelancers and company owners earning more than EUR 31,010 a year (the safer of the two readings), from a company or clients outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, who want a legal year in an EU capital that uses the euro. It suits someone happy on public transport: a personalised card covering all daytime lines is EUR 25.50 a month. The US rates Bulgaria Level 1, exercise normal precautions.
It doesn't suit
Anyone with Bulgarian clients, or an employer in the EU: the nomad permit is closed to you. Anyone who earned under the bar last calendar year, and the bar rises with every minimum-wage increase. Anyone who wants a quick start: you apply for a D visa from home first, which takes one to two months, then wait two to four weeks in Bulgaria. Anyone counting on settling: nothing confirms the permit leads to permanent residence, and two law firms say it extends by one year only. And anyone for whom CBD or cannabis is routine: both are illegal and penalties are severe.
Employees of a foreign company, or owners of a profitable one, earning EUR 3,000 a month net or more, who want one or two good years in a central European capital. It suits people who like real seasons, cheap and complete public transport and a deep cafe culture, and who are happy renting in Pest's central districts or across the river in Buda.
It doesn't suit
Anyone hoping to settle, because the White Card stops at two years and cannot turn into residence. Couples and families, because your partner cannot join you on it. Freelancers without a company, who have no clear route at all. Anyone who might take a single Hungarian client or buy into a local business, since either gets the card withdrawn. And anyone who hates winter: from November to February the city is grey, with highs of 3 to 9 degrees.
