Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Karabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $1,021 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
Learn more

Karabuk Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,021

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Karabuk

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,021 in Karabuk.

Sofia $1,585
Karabuk $1,021

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,553 in Karabuk.

Sofia $2,486
Karabuk $1,553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,085 in Karabuk.

Sofia $3,387
Karabuk $2,085

Living in Sofia is roughly 55% more expensive than in Karabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Karabuk is 24% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.11 ₺407

104.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$24.37 ₺1,222

177.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.32 ₺417

40.38%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.57 ₺179

-4.48%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.08 ₺54.2

118.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.27 ₺13.48

518.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.58 ₺79.4

152.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.85 ₺143

58.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.98 ₺49.17

97.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.94 ₺47.15

64.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.40 ₺120

-2.08%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.66 ₺134

72.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$9.77 ₺490

17.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.88 ₺195

122.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$20.40 ₺1,023

-15.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.65 ₺82.6

30.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.98 ₺99.2

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.86 ₺43.29

112.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.16 ₺58.3

268.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.48 ₺23.99

116.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.43 ₺21.38

106.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.79 ₺39.78

50.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.61 ₺30.36

36.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.15 ₺108

104.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.04 ₺403

-7.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$2.14 ₺107

-45.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.14 ₺107

-11.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.80 ₺40.17

15.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.99 ₺49.62

68.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.88 ₺44.27

-3.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.95 ₺298

178.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.26 ₺63.0

38.10%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$40.6K ₺2.0M

-26.29%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$48.5K ₺2.4M

-48.41%

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

$158 BGN 275

$78.0 ₺3,912

102.41%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.18 ₺511

108.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.70 ₺637

19.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$54.5 ₺2,731

-13.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.01 ₺251

99.60%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$458 ₺23.0K

77.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,096 ₺305.8K

140.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$47.71 ₺2,393

82.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$53.0 ₺2,657

-27.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$118 ₺5,928

-10.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$102 ₺5,116

5.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$422 ₺21.2K

82.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$328 ₺16.5K

80.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$767 ₺38.5K

99.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$560 ₺28.1K

89.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,280 ₺64.2K

253.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,032 ₺51.8K

201.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,213 ₺60.8K

46.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-92.95%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Karabuk

$328 32.2% 44.6% $265

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Karabuk

$223 21.8% 22.7% $65

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Karabuk

$152 14.9% 40.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Karabuk

$101 9.9% 48.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Karabuk

$144 14.1% 5.1% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Karabuk

$64 6.3% 3.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Karabuk

$8.6 * 0.8% 77.2% $29

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 $422 in Karabuk. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 47% 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 $24 in Karabuk for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $223 per month, with Karabuk cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

123,309

💱 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 Karabuk 790 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Karabuk

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 Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karabuk wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Karabuk the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 47% 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 $422 in Karabuk. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,021 in Karabuk – Karabuk is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Karabuk 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 Karabuk are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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