Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Obninsk and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Obninsk: $1,196 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Obninsk
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Obninsk Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Obninsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,196

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,196 per month in Obninsk vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Obninsk $1,196
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,805 per month in Obninsk vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Obninsk $1,805
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,413 per month in Obninsk vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Obninsk $2,413
Sofia $3,387

Obninsk is about 25% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Obninsk sits 12% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.57 ₽780

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-42.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.78 ₽3,000

$67.7 BGN 118

-45.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 ₽601

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-36.90%

Cappuccino

$3.01 ₽245

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-11.73%

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

$1.20 ₽97.9

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-49.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₽38.80

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 ₽148

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-54.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 ₽195

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-47.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽95.5

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-39.69%

White Bread (500g)

$0.60 ₽48.88

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-61.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 ₽144

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-24.68%

Eggs

$1.30 ₽106

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-71.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.69 ₽627

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-32.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 ₽391

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-44.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.38 ₽683

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-51.67%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 ₽131

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-25.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ₽138

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-14.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ₽155

$1.83 BGN 3.18

3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 ₽202

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-41.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.53 ₽43.28

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-49.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.54 ₽43.91

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-39.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 ₽81.0

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-16.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ₽44.99

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.43 ₽280

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-22.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.76 ₽715

$7.42 BGN 12.91

18.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 ₽101

$1.16 BGN 2.01

6.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ₽155

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.53 ₽43.41

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-42.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.47 ₽1,995

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-12.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 ₽293

$1.67 BGN 2.90

114.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ₽28.95

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-57.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.16 ₽502

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-62.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 ₽74.2

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-47.70%

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

$43.6K ₽3.6M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

45.48%

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

$39.6K ₽3.2M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

58.34%

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

$181 ₽14.8K

$158 BGN 275

14.77%

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

$8.59 ₽701

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-59.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.73 ₽793

$15.12 BGN 26.30

-35.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.25 ₽3,119

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-18.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.87 ₽2,191

$27.82 BGN 48.41

-3.41%

Cinema Ticket

$9.08 ₽741

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-9.20%

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

$354 ₽28.9K

$815 BGN 1,419

-56.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,281 ₽512.3K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-57.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 ₽8,558

$87.1 BGN 152

20.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.2 ₽5,402

$38.28 BGN 66.6

73.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₽11.7K

$106 BGN 184

35.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 ₽14.4K

$107 BGN 187

65.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$500 ₽40.8K

$769 BGN 1,338

-34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$351 ₽28.6K

$593 BGN 1,032

-40.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$932 ₽76.0K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-39.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 ₽48.6K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-43.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,255 ₽183.9K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-50.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,505 ₽122.7K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-51.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

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 Obninsk: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Obninsk

$351 29.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 69.1% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Obninsk

$221 18.5%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 31.2% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Obninsk

$199 16.7%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 2.6% $5.3

Groceries & Markets

Obninsk

$181 15.1%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 58.9% $107

Eating Out

Obninsk

$155 13%

Sofia

$254 16% 63.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Obninsk

$56 4.7%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 18.5% $10

Getting Around

Obninsk

$32 2.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 18% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $500 in Obninsk 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 $37 in Obninsk versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $288 – making Obninsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Obninsk

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

04:59 4:59 AM

1 h behind Obninsk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

116,179

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.23 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 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

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Between locations

Obninsk Sofia 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Obninsk
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

Obninsk vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 33% more than Obninsk, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,794 per month in Obninsk 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 Obninsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $500 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Obninsk and $68 in Sofia. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,196 in Obninsk and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Obninsk about 25% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,196 in Obninsk and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Obninsk – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

For expats, Obninsk is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.