Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $2,207 in Kaka, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. The total is higher in Kaka despite lower rent and utilities.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
106

Cost of Living Index in Kaka
Learn more

Kaka Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kaka

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$2,207

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kaka

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $2,207 in Kaka, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Kaka $2,207

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $3,326 in Kaka, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Kaka $3,326

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $4,444 in Kaka, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Kaka $4,444

Sofia is about 28% cheaper than Kaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Kaka sit above the global median – Sofia by 17%, Kaka by 63%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$31.44 TMT 106

-47.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$86.2 TMT 289

-21.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$12.82 TMT 43.07

-8.89%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$6.68 TMT 22.43

-48.95%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.62 TMT 5.43

45.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.86 TMT 2.87

94.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$5.91 TMT 19.86

-32.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$13.67 TMT 45.93

-66.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$4.62 TMT 15.51

-58.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$2.03 TMT 6.83

-23.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$6.07 TMT 20.38

-61.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$5.92 TMT 19.90

-22.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$37.85 TMT 127

-69.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$20.00 TMT 67.2

-56.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$23.12 TMT 77.7

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$5.15 TMT 17.29

-58.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$8.70 TMT 29.22

-77.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$7.40 TMT 24.87

-75.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.64 TMT 12.24

17.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$2.35 TMT 7.89

-55.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.43 TMT 4.80

-37.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$2.72 TMT 9.14

-56.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$1.15 TMT 3.86

-27.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$26.47 TMT 88.9

-83.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$42.50 TMT 143

-82.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$5.42 TMT 18.22

-78.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.88 TMT 9.67

-34.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.97 TMT 9.97

-43.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.83 TMT 2.78

2.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$8.80 TMT 29.56

88.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.44 TMT 1.49

295.45%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$45.1K TMT 151.7K

-33.68%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$56.8K TMT 190.8K

-55.96%

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

$158 BGN 275

$582 TMT 1,957

-72.90%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$56.9 TMT 191

-62.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$103 TMT 347

-85.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$8.60 TMT 28.91

16.28%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$23.06 TMT 77.5

3435.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$27.0K TMT 90.6K

-45.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$55.7 TMT 187

56.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$115 TMT 387

-66.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$363 TMT 1,219

-70.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$195 TMT 656

-45.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

9.5

-69.58%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kaka: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kaka

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kaka

$676 30.6% 135% $388

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kaka

$437 19.8% 72.3% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kaka

$743 33.7% 282% $548

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kaka

$328 14.9% 116% $176

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kaka

$17 * 0.8% 74.3% $50

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kaka

$7.1 * 0.3% 81.2% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $86 in Kaka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $676 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇲 Kaka

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

33,315

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 TMT = 0.298 USD

1 TMT = 0.265 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TMT, 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).

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.36 TMT (1 TMT = 0.298 USD). 1 EUR = 3.77 TMT (1 TMT = 0.265 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kaka 3,120 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kaka

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 Kaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaka costs about 39% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $3,311 in Kaka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $2,207 in Kaka. That makes Sofia about 28% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $23 in Kaka. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,585, than in Kaka at $2,207. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kaka it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,585 in Sofia to $2,207 in Kaka. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.