Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Aksaray

For one person, living is cheaper in Aksaray: $916 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Aksaray
Learn more

Aksaray Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Aksaray

🇹🇷 Turkey

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Aksaray

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 Aksaray actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $916 in Aksaray, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Aksaray $916

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,387 in Aksaray, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Aksaray $1,387

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,858 in Aksaray, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Aksaray $1,858

Sofia costs about 73% more than Aksaray, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Aksaray is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.84 ₺292

183.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$23.85 ₺1,194

183.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.16 ₺358

63.13%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.80 ₺140

21.79%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.10 ₺55.0

114.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.34 ₺17.12

391.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.24 ₺112

78.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.68 ₺184

23.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.05 ₺52.3

84.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.83 ₺41.78

86.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.76 ₺88.3

33.52%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.69 ₺84.6

172.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$6.09 ₺305

88.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.61 ₺181

139.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$21.20 ₺1,061

-18.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.11 ₺105

1.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.95 ₺97.8

1.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.94 ₺47.07

94.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.13 ₺56.4

277.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.44 ₺21.79

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.41 ₺20.29

117.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.83 ₺41.55

43.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.20 ₺10.18

315.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.02 ₺101

117.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$14.70 ₺736

-49.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.88 ₺94.3

-38.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.31 ₺116

-17.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.64 ₺31.94

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.07 ₺53.7

56.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.21 ₺60.6

-29.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.44 ₺322

157.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.31 ₺65.3

32.82%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$40.6K ₺2.0M

-26.34%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.3K ₺2.0M

-36.36%

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

$158 BGN 275

$57.2 ₺2,864

175.83%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.17 ₺359

196.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$13.44 ₺673

12.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$52.8 ₺2,640

-11.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$3.03 ₺152

230.03%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$424 ₺21.2K

92.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.9K ₺595.7K

23.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$30.45 ₺1,524

186.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$23.69 ₺1,186

61.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$80.7 ₺4,038

30.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$77.5 ₺3,880

38.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$431 ₺21.5K

78.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$333 ₺16.6K

78.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$780 ₺39.0K

96.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$559 ₺28.0K

89.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,125 ₺56.3K

302.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,099 ₺55.0K

183.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$798 ₺39.9K

123.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-91.97%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aksaray: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Aksaray

$333 36.3% 43.9% $261

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Aksaray

$216 23.5% 25.1% $72

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Aksaray

$126 13.8% 50.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Aksaray

$78 8.5% 59.9% $116

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Aksaray

$96 10.4% 37.2% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Aksaray

$59 6.4% 12% $8

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Aksaray

$9.7 * 1.1% 74.3% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $431 in Aksaray. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $24 in Aksaray. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $216 – making Aksaray the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Aksaray

🕒 Local time

20:10 8:10 PM

21:10 9:10 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

423,011

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Aksaray 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Aksaray

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 Aksaray: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $916 in Aksaray – Aksaray comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,374 in Aksaray. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aksaray, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $431 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $24 in Aksaray. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Aksaray, where all-in costs run around $916, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Aksaray it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aksaray – 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.

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