The 2026 figures tell a calmer story than the past few years. Sofia’s vacancy sat at 11.64% in the second quarter, according to Cushman & Wakefield Forton. The average, though, hides more than it shows. Split the city in two, and the picture flips: 7.3% empty in the central business district, 15.3% in the suburbs. For anyone looking for office space for rent in Sofia, that gap is the whole story. Quality central space is scarce and lets quickly, while rents stay broadly flat.
Start with the totals. Sofia holds about 2,360,000 sq m of office stock, and roughly 275,000 sq m of it is empty. That works out to 11.64% vacancy, down a fraction from 11.83% in January. On its own, the citywide number is close to useless for a tenant. Location is what counts. In the centre, vacancy is about 7.3%. On the outskirts, it is more than double that, at 15.3%. Central, higher-grade buildings fill first, so the real choice there is narrower than the headline suggests.
Rents are the stable part of this market. Prime Class A space in the centre asks around 20 euros per sq m a month. Step below the very top tier and Class A generally runs 14 to 18 euros. Forton calls conditions neutral, with landlords holding the upper hand only in the centre, where there is little spare space to negotiate over. For tenants, that means a budget you can trust. The catch is timing: for the addresses everyone wants, waiting rarely pays off.
Here is the shift worth watching. The second quarter brought more deals, but smaller ones. Gross take-up came to 42,932 sq m, lower than the previous quarter and lower than a year ago, yet the average lease dropped from 1,046 sq m to just 630. More companies signed, each for less space. The tenant mix broadened as well: IT and telecom took roughly 30% of demand, wholesale trade 20%, professional services 13%. The message is consistent. Businesses are sizing space to real need and paying for flexibility rather than square metres they may never use.
New supply is not keeping pace. Developers handed over about 10,000 sq m in the quarter. Another 203,000 sq m is under construction, with roughly 85,000 sq m of that due before the year is out. Demand for green, energy-efficient buildings is holding firm, too: one sustainable office scheme sold for around 17 million euros during the period. For a company weighing office buildings in Sofia, a thin pipeline is a simple argument for planning early.
Line the figures up, and the conclusion is hard to miss. The best central space is in demand, it goes fast, and it is neither getting cheaper nor more plentiful. That puts a premium on buildings that solve several problems at once: a strong location, flexible floors, easy transport. A modern, sustainable office space adds a quieter benefit: lower running costs across the life of the lease. Judge an option on all of that, not on the rent per square metre alone.
If office space for rent in Sofia is on your list, look at what is actually available. Browse the offices at ETC and book a viewing when it suits you, then compare location, size and terms where it counts, on site.
Around 11.64% in the second quarter, on Forton’s numbers. The centre is tighter, at about 7.3%, and the periphery looser, at about 15.3%.
Prime central Class A is about 20 euros per sq m a month. Elsewhere, Class A tends to fall between 14 and 18 euros. What you actually pay depends on the building, the floor, its condition on handover, and the service charges.
It is changing shape rather than simply rising. Leased volume dipped in the second quarter, but the number of deals went up while their average size came down. Demand is wider across sectors and more disciplined on space.
Because the average lease fell from 1,046 to 630 sq m, and that is no accident. Tighter planning keeps fixed costs down, and a flexible floor leaves room to grow when the headcount does.
Not really. About 10,000 sq m arrived in the second quarter, with some 85,000 sq m expected by year-end. When good space is scarce, the best located buildings get taken first.
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