Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Aktobe

For one person, living is cheaper in Aktobe: $874 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Aktobe
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Aktobe Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Aktobe

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$874

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Aktobe

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $874 in Aktobe, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Aktobe $874

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,378 in Aktobe, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Aktobe $1,378

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,883 in Aktobe, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Aktobe $1,883

Sofia costs about 81% more than Aktobe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Aktobe is 35% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.65 ₸3,900

91.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$39.43 ₸17.8K

71.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.05 ₸3,179

65.67%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.45 ₸1,104

39.18%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.24 ₸558

90.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.59 ₸265

183.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.93 ₸872

106.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.00 ₸1,351

51.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.37 ₸618

41.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.42 ₸190

269.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.97 ₸436

142.27%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.74 ₸785

164.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.05 ₸3,630

42.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.83 ₸2,628

48.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.91 ₸4,015

94.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.59 ₸717

35.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.22 ₸1,001

-10.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.36 ₸1,066

-22.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.89 ₸853

125.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.77 ₸348

35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.37 ₸169

140.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.09 ₸489

9.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.73 ₸331

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.48 ₸1,116

77.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$5.89 ₸2,654

25.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.09 ₸493

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.74 ₸786

9.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.20 ₸90.1

360.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$17.72 ₸7,988

58.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.14 ₸512

46.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.09 ₸490

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.62 ₸2,532

195.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.65 ₸293

167.69%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$22.9K ₸10.3M

30.54%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$30.4K ₸13.7M

-17.61%

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

$158 BGN 275

$56.1 ₸25.3K

181.29%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.39 ₸4,682

104.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$21.36 ₸9,628

-29.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$47.91 ₸21.6K

-2.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$11.92 ₸5,376

133.39%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.37 ₸2,420

86.22%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$225 ₸101.5K

262.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,221 ₸1.5M

354.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$55.8 ₸25.1K

56.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.8 ₸25.1K

-31.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$116 ₸52.3K

-8.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$97.8 ₸44.1K

9.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$301 ₸135.9K

155.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$227 ₸102.4K

161.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$462 ₸208.2K

231.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$360 ₸162.1K

195.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$824 ₸371.7K

448.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$525 ₸236.5K

492.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$550 ₸248.0K

223.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-83.00%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Aktobe: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Aktobe

$227 26% 61.7% $366

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Aktobe

$186 21.3% 35.4% $102

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Aktobe

$143 16.3% 43.7% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Aktobe

$88 10.1% 54.8% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Aktobe

$146 16.8% 3.8% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Aktobe

$59 6.7% 12.3% $8.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Aktobe

$25 2.9% 33.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $301 in Aktobe. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $39 in Aktobe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $186 – making Aktobe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Aktobe

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

17:48 5:48 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

570,452

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Aktobe 2,700 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Aktobe

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 Aktobe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 81%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,311 in Aktobe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aktobe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $39 in Aktobe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aktobe, where all-in costs run around $874, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Aktobe it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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