Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Atyrau

For one person, living is cheaper in Atyrau: $1,015 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Atyrau
Learn more

Atyrau Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Atyrau

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,015

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Atyrau

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,015 in Atyrau, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Atyrau $1,015

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,678 in Atyrau, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Atyrau $1,678

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,340 in Atyrau, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Atyrau $2,340

Sofia costs about 56% more than Atyrau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Atyrau is 25% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.81 ₸4,401

68.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.84 ₸16.5K

83.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.45 ₸3,340

56.78%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.12 ₸952

60.85%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.11 ₸499

112.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.83 ₸371

101.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.69 ₸759

136.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.06 ₸922

119.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.73 ₸775

12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.44 ₸198

252.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.01 ₸902

16.92%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.55 ₸697

196.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.20 ₸5,021

2.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$8.48 ₸3,803

2.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.01 ₸3,594

116.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.76 ₸788

22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.69 ₸1,208

-26.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.31 ₸1,036

-20.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.74 ₸782

145.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.66 ₸295

57.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.44 ₸198

102.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.25 ₸559

-4.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.97 ₸436

-14.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.41 ₸1,081

82.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.62 ₸4,313

-22.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.32 ₸594

-12.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.45 ₸649

31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.34 ₸153

170.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$21.76 ₸9,759

29.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.51 ₸677

10.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.66 ₸296

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.56 ₸2,941

152.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.67 ₸302

159.70%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$17.6K ₸7.9M

69.95%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$29.8K ₸13.3M

-15.94%

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

$158 BGN 275

$52.3 ₸23.5K

201.60%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.98 ₸4,924

93.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$14.33 ₸6,425

5.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$63.8 ₸28.6K

-26.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$9.91 ₸4,443

180.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.31 ₸2,829

58.48%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$289 ₸129.4K

182.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,495 ₸1.6M

319.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$33.49 ₸15.0K

160.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$43.97 ₸19.7K

-12.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$87.8 ₸39.4K

20.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$88.3 ₸39.6K

21.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$509 ₸228.3K

50.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$345 ₸154.7K

71.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,113 ₸499.0K

37.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$776 ₸348.1K

36.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$939 ₸421.2K

381.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$749 ₸336.0K

314.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$724 ₸324.7K

145.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-90.37%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Atyrau: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Atyrau

$345 34% 41.8% $248

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Atyrau

$227 22.4% 21.1% $61

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Atyrau

$147 14.5% 42.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Atyrau

$78 7.7% 60% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Atyrau

$114 11.2% 25% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Atyrau

$76 7.5% 14.3% $9.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Atyrau

$28 2.8% 25.9% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $509 in Atyrau. 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 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $37 in Atyrau. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $227 – making Atyrau the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Atyrau

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

323,295

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Atyrau 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Atyrau

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 Atyrau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,015 in Atyrau – Atyrau comes out roughly 36% 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 $1,522 in Atyrau. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Atyrau, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $509 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $289 in Atyrau. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% 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 $1,015 in Atyrau, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Atyrau – 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 Atyrau. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.