Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kahramanmaras

For one person, living is cheaper in Kahramanmaras: $717 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Kahramanmaras
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Kahramanmaras Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kahramanmaras

🇹🇷 Turkey

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kahramanmaras

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $717 in Kahramanmaras.

Sofia $1,585
Kahramanmaras $717

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,089 in Kahramanmaras.

Sofia $2,486
Kahramanmaras $1,089

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,460 in Kahramanmaras.

Sofia $3,387
Kahramanmaras $1,460

Living in Sofia is roughly 121% more expensive than in Kahramanmaras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Kahramanmaras is 47% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.88 ₺245

239.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$11.82 ₺593

472.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.19 ₺360

62.45%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.03 ₺202

-15.38%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.51 ₺25.81

362.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.19 ₺9.32

778.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.03 ₺102

96.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.40 ₺120

88.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.83 ₺41.87

133.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.86 ₺43.11

80.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.59 ₺79.9

47.80%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.23 ₺61.6

273.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.25 ₺414

39.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.46 ₺173

150.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$15.71 ₺788

10.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.71 ₺86.0

25.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.83 ₺91.6

8.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.63 ₺31.82

190.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.87 ₺43.84

390.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.39 ₺19.45

166.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.35 ₺17.66

154.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.79 ₺39.72

50.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.62 ₺30.92

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.94 ₺97.5

126.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.17 ₺109

-46.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.87 ₺144

-33.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.27 ₺13.38

240.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.51 ₺126

-33.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.31 ₺65.9

-35.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.26 ₺62.9

38.10%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-24.83%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$43.4K ₺2.2M

-42.39%

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

$158 BGN 275

$39.35 ₺1,974

301.17%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.98 ₺350

204.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$10.18 ₺510

48.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$31.59 ₺1,585

48.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$21.63 ₺1,085

28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.35 ₺218

129.89%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$427 ₺21.4K

90.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$9,604 ₺481.7K

52.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$29.53 ₺1,481

194.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$19.80 ₺993

93.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$59.5 ₺2,982

77.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$49.13 ₺2,464

118.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$306 ₺15.3K

151.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$240 ₺12.0K

147.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$493 ₺24.7K

210.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$398 ₺20.0K

166.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,021 ₺51.2K

74.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-91.74%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kahramanmaras: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kahramanmaras

$240 33.4% 59.6% $353

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kahramanmaras

$173 * 24.1% 39.9% $115

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kahramanmaras

$127 17.7% 50% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kahramanmaras

$57 7.9% 70.9% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kahramanmaras

$71 9.9% 53.3% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kahramanmaras

$40 5.6% 39.7% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kahramanmaras

$10 * 1.4% 73.1% $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 $306 in Kahramanmaras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 74% 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 $12 in Kahramanmaras for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $173 per month, with Kahramanmaras cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Kahramanmaras

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,112,634

💱 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 Kahramanmaras 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kahramanmaras

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 Kahramanmaras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kahramanmaras wins on cost – living expenses run 55% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kahramanmaras the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 74% 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 $306 in Kahramanmaras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $427 in Kahramanmaras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kahramanmaras – a meal for two runs $12 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $717 in Kahramanmaras versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Kahramanmaras but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kahramanmaras the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

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