Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ankara

For one person, living is cheaper in Ankara: $1,399 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ankara

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $1,399 in Ankara, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Ankara $1,399

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $2,078 in Ankara, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Ankara $2,078

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $2,758 in Ankara, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Ankara $2,758

Sofia costs about 14% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sofia and Ankara sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Ankara by 3%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$10.29 ₺509

64.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$42.23 ₺2,091

61.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$9.79 ₺485

18.69%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$3.98 ₺197

-13.82%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$1.67 ₺82.8

40.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.76 ₺37.43

140.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.93 ₺244

-30.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$6.18 ₺306

-28.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.16 ₺57.3

69.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.97 ₺47.90

53.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.20 ₺109

5.91%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$2.68 ₺133

64.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$10.08 ₺499

14.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$5.44 ₺269

63.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$20.01 ₺991

-12.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$1.97 ₺97.6

9.14%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.29 ₺113

-9.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.28 ₺63.5

50.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.67 ₺82.6

154.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.66 ₺32.50

56.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.58 ₺28.75

51.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$1.05 ₺52.0

13.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.69 ₺34.22

28.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$2.21 ₺109

91.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$12.48 ₺618

-36.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.24 ₺111

-47.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$3.14 ₺156

-39.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.70 ₺34.88

32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$12.13 ₺600

133.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.34 ₺66.3

25.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.80 ₺39.57

20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$6.61 ₺327

132.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.42 ₺70.5

24.65%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$49.1K ₺2.4M

-37.90%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$40.8K ₺2.0M

-38.50%

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

$157 BGN 273

$95.2 ₺4,715

64.93%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$11.15 ₺552

89.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$17.69 ₺876

-13.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$72.0 ₺3,566

-35.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$14.87 ₺736

88.90%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$8.09 ₺401

24.10%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$1,052 ₺52.1K

-26.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$20.0K ₺988.0K

-37.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$53.4 ₺2,642

65.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$48.00 ₺2,377

-13.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$106 ₺5,266

0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$94.6 ₺4,681

12.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$766 ₺37.9K

0.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$571 ₺28.3K

5.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$1,159 ₺57.4K

34.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$884 ₺43.8K

17.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,713 ₺84.8K

166.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,159 ₺57.4K

172.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,099 ₺54.4K

58.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

43.57

-93.37%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Ankara: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Ankara

$571 40.8% 5.2% $31

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Ankara

$253 18.1% 12.9% $38

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Ankara

$206 14.7% 18.9% $48

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Ankara

$124 8.9% 35.9% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Ankara

$136 9.7% 11.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Ankara

$88 6.3% 32.7% $22

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Ankara

$20 1.5% 47.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $766 in Ankara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 58% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68.0 in Sofia versus $42.00 in Ankara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $253 – making Ankara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Ankara

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

14:12 2:12 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

5,864,049 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 25, 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 October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Ankara 850 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ankara

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 Ankara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 14% more than Ankara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $2,099 in Ankara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ankara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $775 per month in Sofia and $1,052 in Ankara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ankara, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Sofia at $1,600. In Ankara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ankara costs $1,399 versus $1,600 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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