Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ivdel

For one person, living is cheaper in Ivdel: $1,136 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ivdel
Learn more

Ivdel Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ivdel

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ivdel

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,136 in Ivdel, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Ivdel $1,136

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,738 in Ivdel, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Ivdel $1,738

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,340 in Ivdel, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Ivdel $2,340

Sofia costs about 40% more than Ivdel, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Ivdel is 16% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.45 ₽935

44.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$46.46 ₽3,794

45.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.75 ₽469

103.13%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.20 ₽261

6.56%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.03 ₽83.9

129.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.62 ₽50.9

169.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.83 ₽149

118.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.41 ₽278

32.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.13 ₽92.2

71.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.69 ₽56.3

124.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.28 ₽104

83.59%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.40 ₽115

228.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.39 ₽848

10.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.00 ₽409

73.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.80 ₽800

76.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.71 ₽140

25.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.72 ₽141

15.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.75 ₽143

4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.70 ₽220

58.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.77 ₽63.0

35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.57 ₽46.39

56.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.40 ₽114

-15.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.81 ₽66.2

2.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.21 ₽262

37.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.85 ₽722

-16.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.21 ₽99.1

-4.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.17 ₽177

-12.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.53 ₽43.55

73.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$29.53 ₽2,411

-4.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.48 ₽202

-32.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.32 ₽26.19

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.42 ₽525

158.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.78 ₽64.0

123.08%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$49.8K ₽4.1M

-39.83%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$45.4K ₽3.7M

-44.93%

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

$158 BGN 275

$121 ₽9,874

30.56%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.18 ₽504

244.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$8.89 ₽726

70.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$40.03 ₽3,269

17.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$26.00 ₽2,123

7.00%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.90 ₽482

69.49%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$341 ₽27.8K

139.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,195 ₽505.9K

136.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$91.7 ₽7,485

-4.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$47.45 ₽3,875

-19.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$154 ₽12.6K

-31.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$123 ₽10.1K

-13.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$468 ₽38.2K

64.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$354 ₽28.9K

67.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$858 ₽70.1K

78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$538 ₽43.9K

97.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,607 ₽212.9K

73.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,647 ₽134.5K

88.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

21.33

-86.45%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ivdel: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ivdel

$354 31.2% 40.3% $239

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ivdel

$201 17.7% 30.3% $87

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ivdel

$170 15% 33% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ivdel

$136 12% 30% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ivdel

$187 16.5% 23.2% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ivdel

$52 4.6% 22.5% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ivdel

$36 3.2% 5.2% $2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $468 in Ivdel. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $46 in Ivdel. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $201 – making Ivdel the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Ivdel

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

09:34 9:34 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

16,090

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Ivdel 3,180 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ivdel

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 Ivdel: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 40%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,704 in Ivdel. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ivdel, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $468 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Public transport costs about 5% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $341 in Ivdel. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ivdel, where all-in costs run around $1,136, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Ivdel it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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