Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Gebze

For one person, living is cheaper in Gebze: $974 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Gebze
Learn more

Gebze Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Gebze

🇹🇷 Turkey

$974

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Gebze

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $974 in Gebze.

Sofia $1,585
Gebze $974

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,532 in Gebze.

Sofia $2,486
Gebze $1,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,089 in Gebze.

Sofia $3,387
Gebze $2,089

Living in Sofia is roughly 63% more expensive than in Gebze, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Gebze is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.92 ₺297

179.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$30.42 ₺1,526

122.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.13 ₺408

43.67%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.86 ₺194

-11.66%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.05 ₺52.7

124.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.37 ₺18.72

351.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.37 ₺119

68.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.03 ₺152

49.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.00 ₺50.0

94.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.80 ₺40.05

93.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.24 ₺113

4.91%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.64 ₺132

74.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.52 ₺527

9.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.76 ₺239

81.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$19.21 ₺964

-9.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.78 ₺89.1

20.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.94 ₺97.1

2.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.06 ₺53.1

72.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.32 ₺66.2

223.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.58 ₺29.26

79.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.38 ₺19.14

134.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.83 ₺41.87

43.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.67 ₺33.70

23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.06 ₺103

113.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$13.94 ₺699

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.05 ₺103

-43.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.38 ₺119

-20.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.79 ₺39.70

16.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.31 ₺65.8

27.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.07 ₺53.8

-20.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$8.54 ₺429

94.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.29 ₺64.7

34.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$46.9K ₺2.4M

-36.20%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.1K ₺2.1M

-39.19%

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

$158 BGN 275

$75.7 ₺3,799

108.42%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$11.20 ₺562

89.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$14.76 ₺740

2.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$49.24 ₺2,470

-4.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.96 ₺299

67.79%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$603 ₺30.2K

35.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$11.0K ₺550.2K

33.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$46.48 ₺2,331

87.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$41.34 ₺2,073

-7.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$81.8 ₺4,104

29.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$97.4 ₺4,886

10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$366 ₺18.4K

109.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$301 ₺15.1K

97.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$717 ₺35.9K

113.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$588 ₺29.5K

80.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,303 ₺65.3K

247.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$900 ₺45.2K

245.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,310 ₺65.7K

35.87%

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 Gebze: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Gebze

$301 30.9% 49.3% $292

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Gebze

$239 24.5% 17.1% $49

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Gebze

$142 14.6% 44.1% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Gebze

$102 10.4% 47.6% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Gebze

$120 12.3% 21% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Gebze

$61 6.3% 8.5% $5.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Gebze

$9.8 * 1% 73.9% $28

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $366 in Gebze. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 36% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $30 in Gebze for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $239 per month, with Gebze cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Gebze

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

281,436

💱 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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Between locations

Sofia Gebze 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Gebze

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 Gebze: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gebze wins on cost – living expenses run 39% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Gebze the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 36% 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 $366 in Gebze. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $603 in Gebze. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Gebze – a meal for two runs $30 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Gebze is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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 Gebze are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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