Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Dubna

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubna: $1,226 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Dubna
Learn more

Dubna Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Dubna

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Dubna

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,226 in Dubna, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Dubna $1,226

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,936 in Dubna, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Dubna $1,936

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,646 in Dubna, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Dubna $2,646

Sofia costs about 29% more than Dubna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Dubna is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.11 ₽989

36.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$62.7 ₽5,121

7.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.83 ₽476

100.34%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.59 ₽130

114.47%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.46 ₽119

61.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.41 ₽33.88

307.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.88 ₽153

112.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.80 ₽392

-5.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.18 ₽96.6

64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.80 ₽65.7

93.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.75 ₽143

34.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.98 ₽161

132.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$9.71 ₽793

18.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.51 ₽531

32.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.42 ₽1,177

20.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.77 ₽144

21.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.77 ₽144

11.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.19 ₽97.5

53.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.56 ₽127

173.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.43 ₽35.13

141.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.57 ₽46.31

56.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.57 ₽128

-24.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.83 ₽68.1

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.51 ₽286

25.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.30 ₽1,004

-39.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.24 ₽101

-6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.57 ₽210

-26.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.53 ₽43.43

73.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$29.71 ₽2,426

-5.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.28 ₽187

-26.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.35 ₽28.42

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.11 ₽499

171.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.89 ₽73.0

95.51%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$42.6K ₽3.5M

-29.72%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.0K ₽3.2M

-35.85%

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

$158 BGN 275

$182 ₽14.9K

-13.36%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.61 ₽703

147.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.47 ₽773

59.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$37.01 ₽3,022

26.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$21.65 ₽1,768

28.50%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$8.80 ₽718

13.64%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$361 ₽29.5K

125.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,466 ₽528.0K

126.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$105 ₽8,564

-16.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$67.5 ₽5,508

-43.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$147 ₽12.0K

-28.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$176 ₽14.4K

-39.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$500 ₽40.8K

53.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$326 ₽26.6K

81.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$941 ₽76.9K

62.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$577 ₽47.1K

83.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,231 ₽182.2K

102.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,536 ₽125.4K

102.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.36

-85.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Dubna: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Dubna

$326 26.6% 45% $267

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Dubna

$226 18.5% 21.4% $61

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Dubna

$160 13% 37% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Dubna

$200 16.3% 3.1% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Dubna

$223 18.2% 46.5% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Dubna

$55 4.5% 18.3% $12

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Dubna

$36 2.9% 4.9% $1.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $500 in Dubna. 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 $63 in Dubna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $226 – making Dubna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Dubna

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

75,176

💱 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 Dubna 1,840 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Dubna

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 Dubna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 29% more than Dubna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,839 in Dubna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dubna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $500 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $361 in Dubna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,226 in Dubna. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Dubna – 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.