Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Apatity

For one person, living is cheaper in Apatity: $1,160 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Apatity
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Apatity Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Apatity

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,160

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Apatity

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,160 in Apatity, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Apatity $1,160

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,823 in Apatity, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Apatity $1,823

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,485 in Apatity, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Apatity $2,485

Sofia costs about 37% more than Apatity, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Apatity is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.42 ₽1,014

33.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$44.53 ₽3,636

51.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.10 ₽580

64.51%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.37 ₽275

1.19%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.20 ₽98.4

96.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.59 ₽48.31

183.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.75 ₽143

128.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.32 ₽271

36.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.21 ₽99.2

60.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.76 ₽61.7

103.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.63 ₽133

44.17%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.75 ₽143

162.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.14 ₽910

2.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.21 ₽508

39.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.10 ₽906

56.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.00 ₽163

7.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.71 ₽140

15.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.98 ₽161

-7.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.38 ₽276

26.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.86 ₽69.9

20.93%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.61 ₽49.43

45.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.20 ₽98.3

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.62 ₽50.7

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.50 ₽286

25.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.83 ₽803

-24.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.22 ₽99.5

-4.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.36 ₽193

-19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.60 ₽49.38

53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$30.97 ₽2,529

-9.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.14 ₽175

-21.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.34 ₽27.49

150.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.12 ₽500

171.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.75 ₽61.1

132.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$53.4K ₽4.4M

-43.95%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$43.9K ₽3.6M

-43.03%

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

$158 BGN 275

$144 ₽11.7K

9.79%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.45 ₽527

229.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$8.25 ₽674

83.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.07 ₽2,945

29.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$25.63 ₽2,093

8.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.85 ₽559

45.99%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$330 ₽26.9K

147.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$7,050 ₽575.7K

107.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$78.6 ₽6,415

10.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$57.2 ₽4,667

-33.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$148 ₽12.0K

-28.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$123 ₽10.1K

-13.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$496 ₽40.5K

55.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$325 ₽26.6K

82.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$972 ₽79.4K

57.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$599 ₽48.9K

77.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,483 ₽202.7K

82.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,419 ₽115.9K

119.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

27.67

-89.56%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Apatity: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Apatity

$325 28% 45.1% $268

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Apatity

$223 19.2% 22.6% $65

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Apatity

$184 15.8% 27.6% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Apatity

$158 13.7% 18.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Apatity

$183 15.8% 20.3% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Apatity

$50 4.3% 25.5% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Apatity

$37 3.2% 1.4% $0.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $496 in Apatity. 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 $68 in Sofia versus $45 in Apatity. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $223 – making Apatity the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Apatity

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

48,748

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Apatity 2,830 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Apatity

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 Apatity: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 37%, 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 $1,740 in Apatity. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Apatity, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $496 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Public transport costs about 9% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $330 in Apatity. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Apatity, where all-in costs run around $1,160, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Apatity it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Apatity – 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.