Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bodrum

For one person, living is cheaper in Bodrum: $1,176 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bodrum
Learn more

Bodrum Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Bodrum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bodrum

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,176 in Bodrum.

Sofia $1,585
Bodrum $1,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,288 in Bodrum.

Sofia $2,486
Bodrum $2,288

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $3,399 in Bodrum.

Sofia $3,387
Bodrum $3,399

Living in Sofia is roughly 35% more expensive than in Bodrum, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Bodrum is 13% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.82 ₺491

68.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$60.1 ₺3,007

12.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.49 ₺425

37.57%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.61 ₺180

-5.54%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.48 ₺74.3

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.76 ₺38.05

119.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$4.08 ₺204

-2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.63 ₺232

-2.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.95 ₺47.49

104.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.03 ₺51.3

50.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.41 ₺120

-2.49%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.97 ₺98.6

133.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.87 ₺594

-3.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.37 ₺169

156.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$21.09 ₺1,055

-17.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.55 ₺77.4

38.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.81 ₺90.4

9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.91 ₺45.71

101.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.14 ₺57.2

274.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.51 ₺25.55

103.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.44 ₺21.95

102.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.74 ₺37.22

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.75 ₺37.31

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.23 ₺112

97.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$15.08 ₺754

-50.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.83 ₺91.4

-36.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.76 ₺88.3

7.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$1.08 ₺54.0

-14.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.03 ₺152

-44.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.98 ₺49.14

-13.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.28 ₺64.3

35.94%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$40.9K ₺2.0M

-26.74%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.6K ₺2.0M

-36.79%

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

$158 BGN 275

$41.73 ₺2,089

278.29%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.17 ₺509

109.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$10.72 ₺537

41.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$76.1 ₺3,809

-38.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.86 ₺344

45.77%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$405 ₺20.3K

101.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$8,660 ₺433.4K

69.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$102 ₺5,105

-14.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$56.7 ₺2,838

-32.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$154 ₺7,688

-31.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$119 ₺5,977

-10.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$600 ₺30.0K

28.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$393 ₺19.7K

50.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,326 ₺66.3K

15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,475 ₺73.8K

-28.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,897 ₺145.0K

56.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$2,430 ₺121.6K

27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,041 ₺52.1K

71.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

38.25

-92.44%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bodrum: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Bodrum

$393 33.4% 33.7% $200

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Bodrum

$238 20.2% 17.3% $50

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Bodrum

$186 15.8% 26.7% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Bodrum

$63 5.3% 67.8% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Bodrum

$194 16.5% 27.7% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Bodrum

$90 7.6% 34.4% $23

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bodrum

$12 * 1% 67.5% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $600 in Bodrum. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $60 in Bodrum for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $238 per month, with Bodrum cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Bodrum

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

187,284

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 5, 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Bodrum 720 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bodrum

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 Bodrum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bodrum wins on cost – living expenses run 26% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bodrum the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $600 in Bodrum. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,176 in Bodrum – Bodrum is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Bodrum is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bodrum delivers better value at $1,176 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bodrum hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Bodrum are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Bodrum wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.