Which place is cheaper, Salzburg or Sofia?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Sofia or Salzburg?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Sofia and Salzburg. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Sofia or Salzburg?
Sofia
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria and also its largest city. Some people have tried to compare it to Budapest, but the cities are actually quite different. In Sofia you will find wonderful European style architecture intertwined with Communist style buildings. It's fascinating to see the two dramatically different building styles immediately next to each other. There are also many Orthodox Churches around town, with their beautiful domes and intricate details.
Salzburg
Most people know of Salzburg from its roll in the infamous movie "The Sound of Music." Every child who fell in love with this movie knows the gazebo scene in the rain, or could sing "My Favorite Things" as they skip down the Salzach River, but once you get past the obvious cliches, you can see that Salzburg is a city with a lot of depth and culture aside from the movie.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Bulgaria, The Best Hiking & Trekking Tours in Bulgaria, The Best 2-Week Tours in Austria, and The Best Tours for Seniors to Austria.
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Sofia Prices
Bulgaria PricesSalzburg Prices
Austria Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per daySofia $86Salzburg $217
The average daily cost (per person) in Sofia is $86, while the average daily cost in Salzburg is $217. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Sofia and Salzburg in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personSofia $44Salzburg $107
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomSofia $88Salzburg $214
Compare Hotels in Sofia and Salzburg
Looking for a hotel in Sofia or Salzburg? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Sofia Hotel Prices and Salzburg Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Sofia $9.26Salzburg $23
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Sofia
Also for Sofia, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Transfer from Sofia airport to hotel in Sofia OR vice versa: $21
- Sofia Airport to Borovets Shared Transfer (Max 90 Min Wait): $28
- Private Airport Transfer to Sofia City Center: $41
- Private Transfer from Sofia (SOF) Airport to Sofia City: $45
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Sofia APT-HTL (SOF): $48
- Try find your better than us ! Airport transfer service in Sofia HTL-APT (SOF): $48
- Sofia City Private Transfer to Sofia Airport SOF in Business Car: $58
- Sofia Airport SOF Private Transfer to Sofia City in Business Car: $58
- Korali Hot Spring with Private Transfers: $65
- Private Departure Transfer from Sunny Beach to Burgas Airport: $71
- Private Transfers from Sofia to Borovets OR Borovets to Sofia: $71
- Transfer from the Sofia Airport to your hotel in Sofia by VIP Mercedes V class: $71
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Salzburg
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Salzburg:
- Hallstatt daytrip: Transfer to Hallstatt + Salzburg and back: $523
- Salzburg daytrip: Private transfer to Salzburg and back: $405
- Private Transfer From Salzburg To Innsbruck, English Speaking Driver : $287
- Private Transfer from Salzburg to Munich With 2h of Sightseeing: $275
- Private Transfer Salzburg → Munich, Hotel-to-Hotel, English-speaking driver: $275
- From Salzburg to Munich Airport- Private Transfer - punctual & friendly Driver: $275
- Private Salzburg transfer : $239
- Private Transfer From Salzburg To Kitzbuhel, English Speaking Driver : $201
- Private Transfer From Zell am See To Salzburg, English Speaking Driver: $201
- Salzburg Airport (SZG) to Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Arrival Transfer: $167
- Saalbach-Hinterglemm to Salzburg Airport (SZG)-Departure Transfer: $167
- Salzburg Train Station Arrival Transfer: $119
Is it cheaper to fly into Sofia or Salzburg?
Prices for flights to both Salzburg and Sofia change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one daySofia $35Salzburg $84
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Sofia
For Sofia, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- 1980s Communism-Era Dinner with Local Host: $35
- Market Food Tour: $55
- Cooking Class in Sourdough Pancakes, Wine & Culture: $59
- Sofia by Night: Panoramic City Tour and Folklore Dinner: $116
- Private Sofia Night Tour with Bulgarian Folklore & Dinner: $118
- Bulgarian Food tasting, cullinary-historical tour, Cooking class: $137
- Sofia by Night Panoramic Tour with Dinner and Folklore Show: $161
Typical Food Prices in Salzburg
Some typical examples of dining costs in Salzburg are as follows:
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Lunch Salad$11
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Salzburg
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Salzburg.
- Austrian Apple Strudel Cooking Class including Lunch in Salzburg: $69
- Salzburg Christmas Cookies and Apple Strudel Cooking Lesson: $69
- Apple Strudel & Prezel Cooking Class incl. Dinner & Music: $94
- Best of Mozart Concert and Dinner or VIP Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $98
- Mozart and Advent/Christmas Concert with Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $98
- Mozart Dinner Concert in Salzburg: $102
- Mozart Concert and Dinner or VIP Dinner at Fortress Salzburg with River Cruise: $129
- Sound of Music Tour with Edelweiss Cooking Class in Salzburg: $149
- Best of Mozart Concert and GOLDEN VIP Dinner at Fortress Hohensalzburg: $153
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Sofia $6.54Salzburg $35
Tours and Activities in Sofia
Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Sofia.
- Rila Monastery: Monastery & Museums Self-Guided Audio Tour 7 lang: $5.95
- Self-guided Tour in the Museum of Socialist Art: $8.57
- Sofia Self Guided Audio Experience: $9.00
- City Monuments Guided Walking Tour with Audio Guide: $12
- Guided Walking Tour of Sofia: $12
- Sofia’s Roots: A Self-Guided Audio Tour: $15
- Bulgarian Rose Aromatic Experience : $17
- Private Kayak Tour on the Pancharevo Lake: $18
- Walking tour: Communist architecture in downtown Sofia: $18
- City Highlights Sightseeing Walking Tour: $19
- Communist Walking Tour: $21
- Communist Walking Tour of Sofia: $21
Tours and Activities in Salzburg
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Salzburg are as follows:
- 3-Night Salzburg Winter Package with City Highlights Tour: $263
- A taste of An audio tour through the birthplace of Mozart: $12
- Amphibious Splash Tour on the water & on the land in Salzburg: $51
- Best of Salzburg 1-Hour Private Sightseeing Tour: $179
- Charming Sankt Gilgen Family Discovery Walking Tour: $178
- DomQuartier Salzburg Residence and Cathedral Private Tour: $249
- Eagle's Nest & WWII Bunkers & Berchtesgaden Tour from Salzburg: $298
- Eagle's Nest Hiking Tour: $238
- Eagle’s Nest E-Bike Tour in a Small Group: $226
- Explore Hitlers Mountain World War II Tour: $142
- From Munich: Salzburg Day Trip with Train Ticket: $226
- Full Day UNESCO Hallstatt, Austrian Lakes and Mountains Tour: $167
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one daySofia $9.26Salzburg $31
Sample the Local Flavors in Sofia
Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Sofia:
- Sofia's Hidden Bars: 4-Hour Pub Crawl: $24
- Sofia Pub Crawl Tour of The Hidden Unique Bars: $24
- Wine and Tapas Boutique Bulgarian Wine Tasting : $29
- Wine and Tapas - Bulgarian's Wine Tasting Experience: $29
- Wine Tasting in Heart of Sofia: $36
- Special Selection Bulgarian Wine Tasting: $46
- Special Selection Bulgarian Wine Tasting: $46
- Wine Tasting: Bulgarian Wine Grape Varieties: $48
- From Rozhen monastery and Melnik with wine tasting: $107
- Sofia – Kazanluk Rose Valley & Oil Distillery Tour: $115
- Plovdiv Old Town & Thracian Wine Tasting – Day Tour from Sofia: $137
- Plovdiv and Thracia Valley with Wine Tasting: $173
Typical Alcohol Prices in Salzburg
Below are a few samples from actual travelers for alcohol and nightlife costs in Salzburg:
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Beer$4.34
Sample the Local Flavors in Salzburg
Here are a few nightlife and alcohol tours and activities from local tour providers in Salzburg:
- Private Austrian Wine Tasting with a Pro-Sommelière: $203
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Sofia and Salzburg, we can see that Salzburg is more expensive. And not only is Sofia much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Sofia would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Sofia and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Salzburg would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Salzburg than you might in Sofia.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Sofia Expensive? and Is Salzburg Expensive?.
Which is Bigger, Sofia or Salzburg?
Sofia has a larger population, and is about 8 times larger than the population of Salzburg. When comparing the sizes of Sofia and Salzburg, keep in mind that a larger population does not always imply the destination has more attractions or better activities. So, always research the type of place that you want to visit along with the activities and attractions that interest you.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.