Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Giresun

For one person, living is cheaper in Giresun: $1,018 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Giresun
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Giresun Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Giresun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Giresun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,018 in Giresun.

Sofia $1,585
Giresun $1,018

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,566 in Giresun.

Sofia $2,486
Giresun $1,566

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,114 in Giresun.

Sofia $3,387
Giresun $2,114

Living in Sofia is roughly 56% more expensive than in Giresun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Giresun is 25% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$3.94 ₺198

320.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$60.6 ₺3,041

11.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.41 ₺522

12.20%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.07 ₺204

-16.22%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.76 ₺38.19

210.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.31 ₺15.69

438.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.85 ₺92.7

115.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.97 ₺98.7

129.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.12 ₺56.3

73.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.92 ₺96.1

-19.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.61 ₺131

-9.96%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.50 ₺125

84.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.27 ₺415

38.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.51 ₺276

56.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$26.77 ₺1,343

-35.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.35 ₺118

-8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.36 ₺118

-16.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.50 ₺75.2

22.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.03 ₺51.5

314.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.46 ₺23.07

126.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.36 ₺18.19

147.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.81 ₺40.65

46.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.65 ₺32.82

27.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.05 ₺103

114.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.95 ₺449

-17.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.58 ₺79.5

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.18 ₺109

-12.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.64 ₺32.27

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.96 ₺98.2

-14.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.62 ₺30.87

37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.47 ₺325

156.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.28 ₺64.1

35.94%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-26.05%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-39.28%

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

$158 BGN 275

$89.3 ₺4,480

76.74%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$12.46 ₺625

70.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.56 ₺630

20.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$58.1 ₺2,915

-19.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.09 ₺205

144.50%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$253 ₺12.7K

222.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$13.1K ₺658.3K

11.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$23.87 ₺1,197

264.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$29.51 ₺1,480

29.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$71.0 ₺3,558

48.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$60.9 ₺3,056

75.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$468 ₺23.5K

64.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$353 ₺17.7K

67.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$879 ₺44.1K

74.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$476 ₺23.9K

122.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,344 ₺67.4K

236.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$953 ₺47.8K

226.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,199 ₺60.2K

48.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-94.10%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Giresun: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Giresun

$353 34.7% 40.4% $240

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Giresun

$264 25.9% 8.3% $24

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Giresun

$129 12.7% 49.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Giresun

$114 11.2% 41.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Giresun

$83 8.2% 45.2% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Giresun

$66 6.5% 0.8% $0.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Giresun

$7.6 * 0.8% 79.8% $30

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 $468 in Giresun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 48% 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 $61 in Giresun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $264 per month, with Giresun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Giresun

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

125,682

💱 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 = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Giresun 1,260 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Giresun

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 Giresun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,018 in Giresun, so Giresun is about 36% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $468 in Giresun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $253 in Giresun. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Giresun – a meal for two runs $61 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Giresun gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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