Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Bursa

For one person, living is cheaper in Bursa: $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 Bursa
Learn more

Bursa Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,130

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Bursa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,130 in Bursa.

Sofia $1,585
Bursa $1,130

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,739 in Bursa.

Sofia $2,486
Bursa $1,739

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,348 in Bursa.

Sofia $3,387
Bursa $2,348

Living in Sofia is roughly 40% more expensive than in Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Bursa is 16% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.59 ₺430

92.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$32.67 ₺1,635

107.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.77 ₺389

50.32%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.80 ₺190

-10.26%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.04 ₺52.1

126.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.37 ₺18.61

351.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.46 ₺123

62.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.93 ₺146

54.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.00 ₺50.0

94.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.80 ₺40.02

93.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.32 ₺116

1.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.58 ₺129

78.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.59 ₺530

8.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.90 ₺245

76.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$19.83 ₺993

-12.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.77 ₺88.7

21.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.86 ₺93.1

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.02 ₺51.0

79.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.25 ₺62.8

241.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.57 ₺28.76

82.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.38 ₺19.18

134.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.84 ₺41.83

41.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.72 ₺36.06

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.03 ₺102

116.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$14.05 ₺703

-47.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.01 ₺101

-42.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.35 ₺118

-19.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.83 ₺41.49

10.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$50.1 ₺2,506

-43.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.31 ₺65.6

27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.08 ₺54.1

-21.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$8.75 ₺438

89.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.39 ₺69.8

25.18%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$47.5K ₺2.4M

-36.95%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-37.81%

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

$158 BGN 275

$74.9 ₺3,750

110.68%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.93 ₺547

94.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$14.67 ₺734

3.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$70.4 ₺3,522

-33.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$21.51 ₺1,076

29.34%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.92 ₺296

68.92%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$593 ₺29.7K

37.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$10.8K ₺542.1K

35.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$46.49 ₺2,327

87.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$42.50 ₺2,127

-9.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$79.6 ₺3,984

32.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$96.8 ₺4,843

10.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$398 ₺19.9K

93.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$366 ₺18.3K

62.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$759 ₺38.0K

101.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$624 ₺31.2K

70.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,207 ₺60.4K

274.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,228 ₺61.4K

153.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,024 ₺51.2K

73.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

42.67

-93.23%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Bursa

$366 32.4% 38.3% $227

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Bursa

$241 21.3% 16.2% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Bursa

$161 14.3% 36.4% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Bursa

$101 8.9% 48.2% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Bursa

$119 10.6% 21.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Bursa

$82 7.3% 23% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Bursa

$60 5.3% 59.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $398 in Bursa. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 74% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $33 in Bursa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $241 per month, with Bursa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

23:38 11:38 PM

00:38 12:38 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 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 = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Bursa 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Bursa

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 Bursa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bursa is about 29% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $398 in Bursa. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 19% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bursa – a meal for two runs $33 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,130 in Bursa versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Bursa but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Bursa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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

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