Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Astana and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,130 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Astana and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Astana and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,130 per month in Astana vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Astana $1,130
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,808 per month in Astana vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Astana $1,808
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,485 per month in Astana vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Astana $2,485
Sofia $3,387

Astana is about 29% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Astana sits 16% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 ₸4,978

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-33.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.29 ₸16.8K

$67.7 BGN 118

-44.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.97 ₸3,588

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-31.76%

Cappuccino

$2.51 ₸1,129

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-26.39%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.11 ₸498

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-52.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 ₸279

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-62.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 ₸593

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-66.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ₸979

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-52.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 ₸596

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-31.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.65 ₸292

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-58.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 ₸704

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-33.62%

Eggs

$2.24 ₸1,010

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-51.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.54 ₸5,650

$11.47 BGN 19.96

9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.04 ₸2,721

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-30.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.76 ₸4,847

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-37.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.76 ₸795

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-18.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 ₸1,049

$1.98 BGN 3.45

17.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.20 ₸991

$1.83 BGN 3.18

20.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.10 ₸946

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-50.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 ₸318

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-31.73%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 ₸197

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-50.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 ₸671

$1.19 BGN 2.06

25.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 ₸430

$0.83 BGN 1.45

14.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 ₸1,058

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-46.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.22 ₸5,053

$7.42 BGN 12.91

51.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 ₸592

$1.16 BGN 2.01

12.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 ₸1,054

$1.90 BGN 3.30

23.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.25 ₸113

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-72.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.64 ₸7,493

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-40.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 ₸495

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-34.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.13 ₸511

$0.85 BGN 1.49

32.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 ₸2,676

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-64.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.68 ₸307

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-60.92%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K ₸13.1M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-2.87%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.0K ₸14.0M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

24.08%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$67.2 ₸30.3K

$158 BGN 275

-57.44%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.93 ₸4,472

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-53.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.45 ₸7,860

$15.12 BGN 26.30

15.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.1 ₸24.8K

$46.85 BGN 81.5

17.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.83 ₸9,380

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-25.13%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ₸3,021

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-32.90%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$492 ₸221.7K

$815 BGN 1,419

-39.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K ₸9.7M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

47.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.6 ₸29.6K

$87.1 BGN 152

-24.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.64 ₸20.6K

$38.28 BGN 66.6

19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ₸52.5K

$106 BGN 184

10.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 ₸58.7K

$107 BGN 187

21.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$567 ₸255.3K

$769 BGN 1,338

-26.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 ₸175.8K

$593 BGN 1,032

-34.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,131 ₸509.3K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-26.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 ₸347.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-27.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,650 ₸743.4K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-63.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,153 ₸519.5K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-62.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 ₸414.0K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-48.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.83

2.89

413.15%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Astana: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Astana

$390 34.5%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 52% $203

Groceries & Markets

Astana

$231 20.5%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 24.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Astana

$161 14.3%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 5.5% $8.9

Eating Out

Astana

$160 14.2%

Sofia

$254 16% 58.3% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Astana

$95 8.4%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 105% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Astana

$68 6.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 2.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Astana

$24 2.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 54.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $567 in Astana versus $769 in Sofia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 94% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Astana versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $231 vs $288 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇿 Astana

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

3 h behind Astana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

814,400 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KZT – Kazakhstani Tenge Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇿 Kazakhstani Tenge (₸)

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to KZT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Astana Sofia 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Astana
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Astana vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,130 in Astana, $1,585 in Sofia – Astana comes out roughly 29% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,695 per month in Astana and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $492 per month in Astana and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,130 in Astana and $1,585 in Sofia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,130 in Astana to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Astana. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.