Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Eskisehir

For one person, living is cheaper in Eskisehir: $946 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Eskisehir, Turkey
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Eskisehir
🇹🇷 Turkey
$946
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Eskisehir

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $946 in Eskisehir.

  • Sofia $1,585
  • Eskisehir $946

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,536 in Eskisehir.

  • Sofia $2,486
  • Eskisehir $1,536

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,126 in Eskisehir.

  • Sofia $3,387
  • Eskisehir $2,126

Living in Sofia is roughly 68% more expensive than in Eskisehir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Eskisehir is 30% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$7.54 ₺378
119.76%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$41.95 ₺2,104
61.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$7.66 ₺384
52.48%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$3.73 ₺187
-8.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$1.33 ₺66.7
77.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.36 ₺17.89
363.89%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$2.99 ₺150
33.44%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$5.06 ₺254
-10.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$0.92 ₺45.93
110.87%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$0.94 ₺47.32
64.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$2.25 ₺113
4.44%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$1.96 ₺98.5
134.69%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$7.88 ₺395
45.56%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$3.78 ₺190
128.84%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$18.51 ₺928
-6.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$1.97 ₺99.0
9.14%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.92 ₺96.1
3.13%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$1.14 ₺57.3
60.53%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$1.30 ₺65.3
228.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$0.52 ₺26.12
100.00%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$0.38 ₺18.93
134.21%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$0.92 ₺46.27
29.35%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.75 ₺37.74
10.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$2.25 ₺113
95.56%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$14.12 ₺708
-47.45%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$2.02 ₺101
-42.57%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$3.48 ₺175
-45.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$0.81 ₺40.76
13.58%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
$13.92 ₺698
101.94%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$1.11 ₺55.8
50.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$1.08 ₺54.3
-21.30%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$4.15 ₺208
299.76%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$1.33 ₺66.5
30.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$41.1K ₺2.1M
-27.22%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$39.4K ₺2.0M
-36.45%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$44.03 ₺2,208
258.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$11.75 ₺589
81.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$15.39 ₺772
-1.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
$57.6 ₺2,887
-18.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
$18.79 ₺942
48.06%
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$5.98 ₺300
67.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$893 ₺44.8K
-8.70%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$14.6K ₺732.1K
0.32%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$47.03 ₺2,359
85.18%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$42.27 ₺2,120
-9.44%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$83.2 ₺4,171
26.97%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$72.9 ₺3,655
47.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$327 ₺16.4K
135.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$285 ₺14.3K
107.99%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$719 ₺36.1K
112.81%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$550 ₺27.6K
92.75%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
$1,497 ₺75.1K
202.24%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
$1,034 ₺51.8K
200.76%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Eskisehir
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$1,027 ₺51.5K
73.29%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
39.8
-92.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Eskisehir: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Eskisehir
$285 51.9% $308
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Eskisehir
$226 21.4% $61
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Eskisehir
$160 37% $94
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Eskisehir
$71 63.4% $123
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Eskisehir
$110 27.4% $42
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Eskisehir
$70 4% $2.7
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Eskisehir
$24 37.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $327 in Eskisehir. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 73% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $42 in Eskisehir for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $226 per month, with Eskisehir cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇹🇷 Eskisehir
🕒 Local time
13:58 1:58 PM
14:58 2:58 PM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
888,828
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Eskisehir 680 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Eskisehir

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 Eskisehir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Eskisehir cheaper than Sofia?
Eskisehir is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sofia or Eskisehir?
Average pay runs 73% higher in Sofia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Sofia and Eskisehir?
Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $327 in Eskisehir. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $893 in Eskisehir. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
How do food prices compare in Sofia and in Eskisehir?
Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is it better to live in Sofia or in Eskisehir?
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.
Which city is safer, Sofia or Eskisehir?
Safety-wise, Sofia and Eskisehir are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Eskisehir gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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