Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Moscow and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $1,843 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Moscow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
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Moscow Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,843

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Moscow 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 Moscow and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,843 per month in Moscow vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Moscow $1,843
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $2,822 per month in Moscow vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Moscow $2,822
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $3,801 per month in Moscow vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Moscow $3,801
Sofia $3,387

Moscow costs about 16% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Moscow and Sofia sit above the global median – Moscow by 36%, Sofia by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.14 ₽991

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-26.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.2 ₽5,076

$67.7 BGN 118

-8.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 ₽597

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-37.41%

Cappuccino

$3.72 ₽304

$3.41 BGN 5.93

9.09%

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

$1.67 ₽136

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-29.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 ₽67.5

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-50.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 ₽411

$3.99 BGN 6.94

26.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.84 ₽395

$4.53 BGN 7.88

6.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 ₽101

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-36.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽81.3

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.71 ₽139

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-27.23%

Eggs

$1.90 ₽155

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-58.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.34 ₽1,171

$11.47 BGN 19.96

25.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.65 ₽543

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-23.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.53 ₽1,186

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-16.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.07 ₽169

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-3.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 ₽154

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-4.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 ₽156

$1.83 BGN 3.18

4.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.96 ₽323

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-7.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 ₽75.8

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-10.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽57.3

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-21.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 ₽134

$1.19 BGN 2.06

37.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₽74.9

$0.83 BGN 1.45

10.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 ₽286

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.25 ₽1,000

$7.42 BGN 12.91

65.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 ₽96.3

$1.16 BGN 2.01

1.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 ₽207

$1.90 BGN 3.30

33.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 ₽77.3

$0.92 BGN 1.60

3.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.83 ₽3,498

$28.11 BGN 48.91

52.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.60 ₽294

$1.67 BGN 2.90

115.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₽62.4

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-10.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.20 ₽915

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-32.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 ₽73.3

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-48.28%

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

$42.9K ₽3.5M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

43.19%

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

$40.0K ₽3.3M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

60.10%

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

$177 ₽14.5K

$158 BGN 275

12.38%

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

$8.76 ₽715

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-58.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.72 ₽794

$15.12 BGN 26.30

-35.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.21 ₽3,447

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-9.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.14 ₽3,768

$27.82 BGN 48.41

65.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.50 ₽776

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-5.00%

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

$869 ₽71.0K

$815 BGN 1,419

6.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.2K ₽2.5M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

106.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₽8,677

$87.1 BGN 152

22.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.5 ₽5,515

$38.28 BGN 66.6

76.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 ₽11.8K

$106 BGN 184

36.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$179 ₽14.6K

$107 BGN 187

66.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,481 ₽121.0K

$769 BGN 1,338

92.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 ₽68.3K

$593 BGN 1,032

41.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,018 ₽246.4K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

97.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,487 ₽121.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

40.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,639 ₽787.1K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

112.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,728 ₽386.1K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

52.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,804 ₽147.3K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

1.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.36

2.89

569.90%

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

Last update for Moscow: November 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Moscow

$837 45.4%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 29.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Moscow

$263 14.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 9.4% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Moscow

$223 12.1%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 31.9% $71

Eating Out

Moscow

$208 11.3%

Sofia

$254 16% 21.7% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Moscow

$196 10.6%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 0.8% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Moscow

$61 3.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 9.2% $5.6

Getting Around

Moscow

$54 2.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 30.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,481 in Moscow 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62 in Moscow versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $263 vs $288 – making Moscow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Moscow

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

02:41 2:41 AM

01:41 1:41 AM

1 h behind Moscow

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,700,000 Capital

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 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 RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Moscow Sofia 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Moscow
Sofia

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

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

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

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Moscow vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 16% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,764 per month in Moscow 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 Sofia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $769 there versus $1,481 in Moscow.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $869 per month in Moscow and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,585 versus $1,843 in Moscow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.