Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Afyonkarahisar

For one person, living is cheaper in Afyonkarahisar: $1,014 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Afyonkarahisar, Turkey
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Afyonkarahisar
🇹🇷 Turkey
$1,014
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Afyonkarahisar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,014 in Afyonkarahisar.

  • Sofia $1,585
  • Afyonkarahisar $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,565 in Afyonkarahisar.

  • Sofia $2,486
  • Afyonkarahisar $1,565

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,115 in Afyonkarahisar.

  • Sofia $3,387
  • Afyonkarahisar $2,115

Living in Sofia is roughly 56% more expensive than in Afyonkarahisar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Afyonkarahisar is 25% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$8.88 ₺446
86.60%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$33.27 ₺1,669
103.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$8.04 ₺403
45.27%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$3.78 ₺189
-9.79%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$1.05 ₺52.5
124.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.41 ₺20.50
307.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$2.37 ₺119
68.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$2.95 ₺148
53.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$1.01 ₺50.6
92.08%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$0.83 ₺41.44
86.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$2.22 ₺111
5.86%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$2.66 ₺133
72.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$10.59 ₺531
8.31%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$4.71 ₺236
83.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$19.19 ₺963
-9.64%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$1.79 ₺89.6
20.11%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.86 ₺93.1
6.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$1.02 ₺51.1
79.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$1.31 ₺65.7
225.95%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$0.58 ₺28.92
79.31%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$0.41 ₺20.62
117.07%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$0.86 ₺42.96
38.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.68 ₺34.01
22.06%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$2.07 ₺104
112.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$14.04 ₺704
-47.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$2.00 ₺100
-42.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$2.39 ₺120
-20.50%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$0.78 ₺39.12
17.95%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$1.33 ₺66.6
25.56%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$1.08 ₺54.4
-21.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$8.73 ₺438
90.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$1.40 ₺70.5
24.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$47.8K ₺2.4M
-37.35%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$39.7K ₺2.0M
-37.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$76.2 ₺3,820
107.25%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$10.99 ₺551
93.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$14.50 ₺727
4.28%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
$51.9 ₺2,601
-9.64%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$5.83 ₺293
71.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$600 ₺30.1K
35.90%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$11.2K ₺560.7K
31.00%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$46.42 ₺2,328
87.61%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$42.38 ₺2,126
-9.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$81.7 ₺4,095
29.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$99.0 ₺4,963
8.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$452 ₺22.7K
70.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$315 ₺15.8K
88.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$714 ₺35.8K
114.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$543 ₺27.2K
95.33%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
$1,451 ₺72.8K
211.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
$1,088 ₺54.6K
185.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Afyonkarahisar
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
42.67
-93.23%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Afyonkarahisar: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Afyonkarahisar
$315 46.8% $278
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Afyonkarahisar
$238 17.2% $49
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Afyonkarahisar
$164 35.3% $90
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Afyonkarahisar
$102 47.7% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Afyonkarahisar
$121 20.3% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Afyonkarahisar
$64 5% $3.3
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Afyonkarahisar
$9.9 * 73.8% $28

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $452 in Afyonkarahisar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $33 in Afyonkarahisar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $238 per month, with Afyonkarahisar cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇹🇷 Afyonkarahisar
🕒 Local time
10:44 10:44 AM
11:44 11:44 AM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
747,555
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Afyonkarahisar 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Afyonkarahisar

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
Sofia vs Afyonkarahisar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sofia or Afyonkarahisar?
Afyonkarahisar wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Afyonkarahisar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sofia and in Afyonkarahisar?
You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,521 in Afyonkarahisar to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Sofia compared to Afyonkarahisar?
Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $452 in Afyonkarahisar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do childcare costs compare in Sofia and in Afyonkarahisar?
Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $600 in Afyonkarahisar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do dining costs compare in Sofia and in Afyonkarahisar?
Dining out is cheaper in Afyonkarahisar – a meal for two runs $33 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Sofia or in Afyonkarahisar?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Afyonkarahisar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Sofia or Afyonkarahisar?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
How safe is Sofia compared to Afyonkarahisar?
Safety-wise, Sofia and Afyonkarahisar are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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