Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Astana

For one person, living is cheaper in Astana: $1,130 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Astana
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Astana Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Astana

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Astana

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,130 in Astana, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Astana $1,130

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,808 in Astana, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Astana $1,808

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

Sofia $3,387
Astana $2,485

Sofia costs about 40% more than Astana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Astana is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.05 ₸4,978

49.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.29 ₸16.8K

81.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.97 ₸3,588

46.55%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.51 ₸1,129

35.86%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.11 ₸498

112.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.62 ₸279

169.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.32 ₸593

202.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.17 ₸979

108.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.32 ₸596

46.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.65 ₸292

138.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.56 ₸704

50.64%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.24 ₸1,010

105.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.54 ₸5,650

-8.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.04 ₸2,721

43.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.76 ₸4,847

61.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.76 ₸795

22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.33 ₸1,049

-15.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.20 ₸991

-16.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.10 ₸946

103.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.71 ₸318

46.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.44 ₸197

102.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.49 ₸671

-20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.95 ₸430

-12.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.35 ₸1,058

87.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.22 ₸5,053

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.31 ₸592

-11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.34 ₸1,054

-18.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.25 ₸113

268.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$16.64 ₸7,493

68.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.10 ₸495

51.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.13 ₸511

-24.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.94 ₸2,676

179.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.68 ₸307

155.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$29.1K ₸13.1M

2.96%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$31.0K ₸14.0M

-19.41%

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

$158 BGN 275

$67.2 ₸30.3K

134.98%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.93 ₸4,472

114.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$17.45 ₸7,860

-13.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$55.1 ₸24.8K

-14.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$20.83 ₸9,380

33.56%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.71 ₸3,021

49.03%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$492 ₸221.7K

65.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$21.5K ₸9.7M

-32.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$65.6 ₸29.6K

32.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$45.64 ₸20.6K

-16.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$117 ₸52.5K

-9.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$130 ₸58.7K

-17.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$567 ₸255.3K

35.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$390 ₸175.8K

51.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,131 ₸509.3K

35.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$771 ₸347.4K

37.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,650 ₸743.4K

174.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,153 ₸519.5K

169.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$919 ₸414.0K

93.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

14.83

-80.51%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Astana: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Astana

$390 34.5% 34.2% $203

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Astana

$231 20.5% 19.6% $57

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Astana

$160 14.2% 36.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Astana

$95 8.4% 51.3% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Astana

$161 14.3% 5.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Astana

$68 6.1% 2.4% $1.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Astana

$24 2.2% 35.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $567 in Astana. 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 94% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $37 in Astana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $231 – making Astana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Astana

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

04:41 4:41 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

814,400 Capital

💱 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 450 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 Astana 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Astana

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 Astana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,130 in Astana – Astana comes out roughly 29% 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 $1,695 in Astana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Astana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $567 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $492 in Astana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,130 in Astana, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,130 in Astana to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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