Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ekibastuz

For one person, living is cheaper in Ekibastuz: $834 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,000 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Ekibastuz
Learn more

Ekibastuz Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ekibastuz

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ekibastuz

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $834 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Ekibastuz $834

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,345 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Ekibastuz $1,345

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,857 in Ekibastuz, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Ekibastuz $1,857

Sofia costs about 90% more than Ekibastuz, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Ekibastuz is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.83 ₸4,881

53.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$37.91 ₸17.1K

78.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.72 ₸3,479

51.30%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.57 ₸706

117.20%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.12 ₸504

110.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.62 ₸280

169.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.34 ₸605

197.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.19 ₸986

106.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.32 ₸593

46.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.64 ₸289

142.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.55 ₸698

51.61%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.17 ₸976

111.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.73 ₸5,738

-9.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.91 ₸2,666

46.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.04 ₸4,979

57.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.76 ₸791

22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.33 ₸1,050

-15.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.18 ₸982

-16.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.10 ₸947

103.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.70 ₸315

48.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.46 ₸208

93.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.50 ₸674

-20.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.94 ₸423

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.34 ₸1,053

88.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$11.12 ₸5,015

-33.27%

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

$2.27 ₸1,026

-16.30%

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

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.12 ₸506

49.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.12 ₸507

-24.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.13 ₸2,766

170.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.59 ₸266

194.92%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$29.0K ₸13.1M

3.39%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$32.1K ₸14.5M

-22.07%

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

$158 BGN 275

$66.6 ₸30.0K

136.88%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.68 ₸4,364

119.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$17.42 ₸7,853

-13.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.44 ₸2,903

55.28%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$496 ₸223.7K

64.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$21.6K ₸9.7M

-32.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$65.3 ₸29.4K

33.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$46.69 ₸21.0K

-18.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$117 ₸52.6K

-9.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$130 ₸58.7K

-17.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$247 ₸111.2K

211.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$181 ₸81.5K

228.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$434 ₸195.5K

252.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$333 ₸150.2K

218.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$333 ₸150.1K

434.75%

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 Ekibastuz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ekibastuz

$181 21.7% 69.5% $412

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ekibastuz

$231 27.7% 19.8% $57

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ekibastuz

$147 17.6% 42.2% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ekibastuz

$94 11.2% 51.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ekibastuz

$161 19.4% 6.1% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ekibastuz

$13 * 1.5% 80.7% $54

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ekibastuz

$7.8 * 0.9% 79.5% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $247 in Ekibastuz. 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 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $38 in Ekibastuz. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $231 – making Ekibastuz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Ekibastuz

🕒 Local time

10:18 10:18 AM

13:18 1:18 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

159,760

💱 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 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 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 Ekibastuz 3,960 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ekibastuz

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 Ekibastuz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $834 in Ekibastuz – Ekibastuz comes out roughly 47% 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 $1,251 in Ekibastuz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ekibastuz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $834 in Ekibastuz. That makes Ekibastuz about 47% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $496 in Ekibastuz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ekibastuz, where all-in costs run around $834, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Ekibastuz it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ekibastuz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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