Sofia real estate market — prices, rental yield and trend

• Average price: $4,412 / m²
• Gross rental yield: 4.25%
• Net rental yield: 3.83%
• Transaction cost: 8.6%
• Price basis: local-market average

Residential property in Sofia averages $4,412 per square metre. That makes it the 95th most expensive of the 264 markets in the set.

What a buyer pays in Sofia

The $4,412 figure is a local-market average across all residential property types: a flat in a prime district sits well above it, an older unit on the edge of the market well below. Buying costs — transfer tax or stamp duty, notary, registration and agency — come to about 8.6% of the price here. On a 100 m² apartment at the average price that is roughly $37,945 on top of the $441,223 purchase price. That is close to the 9.6% median across the set. Against the Bulgaria national average of $2,312, Sofia carries a 90.8% premium — the gap between this market and the country as a whole. Among the other Bulgaria markets we track, Burgas at $2,560 is 72.4% cheaper, and Varna at $3,042 is 45.1% cheaper.

What it earns

A square metre lets for about $15.6 a month. Against a purchase price of $4,412 per square metre that is 4.3% gross, before tax. Both figures come from the same source and the same period, so you can check the arithmetic yourself. It ranks 222nd of 311 markets by gross yield. Rental income is taxed at 9–10% — the rate is not a single number here. The 3.8% net figure we publish uses 10%.

How the tax works. 10% final tax on a non-resident's gross rent (ZDDFL arts. 37(1)4 and 46(1)), independent of the rent level. Owners resident in the EU/EEA can opt for the art. 37a recalculation with the 10% standard expense allowance, which gives 9% — the lower end of the band. Source: PwC Bulgaria.

Who can buy in Sofia

Freehold for condos; non-EU land ownership only through a company. That is the rule a foreign buyer meets first, not legal advice — check the current position locally before you commit.

How this figure is built

The price figure for Sofia is built from asking prices from listings. It was last refreshed on 2026-10-17. We rate our confidence in this market’s data low — treat the figures as indicative and check them before acting. We recompute every market the same way, which is what lets Sofia be compared with a country average or another city.

Sources: Numbeo Sofia [https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Sofia?displayCurrency=USD]; NSI housing price statistics Q1 2026 [https://www.nsi.bg/en/announcement/housing-price-statistics-9055]. Snapshot: 2026-10-17.