Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Erzurum

For one person, living is cheaper in Erzurum: $1,016 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Erzurum
Learn more

Erzurum Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Erzurum

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,016

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Erzurum

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,016 in Erzurum, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Erzurum $1,016

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,566 in Erzurum, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Erzurum $1,566

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,116 in Erzurum, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Erzurum $2,116

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.44 ₺373

122.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$29.52 ₺1,480

129.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.01 ₺402

45.82%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.59 ₺180

-5.01%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.38 ₺69.1

71.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.26 ₺13.09

542.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.97 ₺149

34.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.53 ₺177

28.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.89 ₺44.42

117.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.85 ₺42.76

82.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.96 ₺98.4

19.90%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.24 ₺112

105.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.42 ₺423

36.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.85 ₺193

124.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$21.68 ₺1,087

-20.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.79 ₺89.6

20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.75 ₺87.5

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.96 ₺48.24

90.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.25 ₺62.8

241.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.44 ₺22.21

136.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.34 ₺17.04

161.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.82 ₺41.03

45.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.58 ₺29.18

43.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.37 ₺119

85.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.87 ₺495

-24.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.99 ₺99.9

-41.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.86 ₺143

-33.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.76 ₺38.25

21.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.12 ₺56.4

49.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.93 ₺46.45

-8.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.77 ₺289

187.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.30 ₺65.3

33.85%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$42.4K ₺2.1M

-29.48%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$43.4K ₺2.2M

-42.35%

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

$158 BGN 275

$79.1 ₺3,968

99.54%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.60 ₺481

121.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$14.94 ₺749

1.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$58.9 ₺2,954

-20.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.51 ₺326

53.61%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$620 ₺31.1K

31.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$12.1K ₺609.2K

20.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$41.69 ₺2,091

108.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$33.19 ₺1,665

15.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$90.5 ₺4,541

16.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$79.5 ₺3,988

34.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$427 ₺21.4K

80.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$345 ₺17.3K

71.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$745 ₺37.4K

105.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$627 ₺31.4K

69.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,271 ₺63.7K

256.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,001 ₺50.2K

210.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,177 ₺59.0K

51.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

40.44

-92.85%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Erzurum: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Erzurum

$345 34% 41.8% $248

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Erzurum

$221 21.8% 23.2% $67

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Erzurum

$155 15.3% 38.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Erzurum

$104 10.2% 46.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Erzurum

$110 10.9% 27.6% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Erzurum

$72 7.1% 7.6% $5.1

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Erzurum

$8.8 * 0.9% 76.7% $29

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 $427 in Erzurum. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 51% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $30 in Erzurum. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $221 – making Erzurum the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Erzurum

🕒 Local time

07:32 7:32 AM

08:32 8:32 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

762,021

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 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 6, 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.3 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Erzurum 1,530 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Erzurum

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 Erzurum: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,016 in Erzurum – Erzurum 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 $1,524 in Erzurum. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Erzurum, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $427 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $30 in Erzurum. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% 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 $1,016 in Erzurum, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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