Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kastamonu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kastamonu: $1,004 a month against $1,600 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Kastamonu
Learn more

Kastamonu Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Kastamonu

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,004

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kastamonu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,004 in Kastamonu.

Sofia $1,600
Kastamonu $1,004

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,490 in Sofia versus $1,638 in Kastamonu.

Sofia $2,490
Kastamonu $1,638

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,380 in Sofia versus $2,273 in Kastamonu.

Sofia $3,380
Kastamonu $2,273

Living in Sofia is roughly 59% more expensive than in Kastamonu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 18% above, Kastamonu is 26% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$10.27 ₺509

65.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$59.9 ₺2,964

14.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$10.62 ₺526

9.42%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$4.09 ₺202

-16.14%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$0.77 ₺38.27

203.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$0.29 ₺14.23

531.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.79 ₺88.6

90.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$2.07 ₺102

114.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.17 ₺57.9

68.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$2.00 ₺98.8

-25.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.78 ₺138

-16.19%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$1.98 ₺97.8

122.73%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$8.19 ₺405

40.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$4.11 ₺203

116.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$26.23 ₺1,299

-33.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.34 ₺116

-8.12%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.85 ₺91.6

11.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.52 ₺75.3

26.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$1.00 ₺49.45

325.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.31 ₺15.46

232.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$0.25 ₺12.31

252.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$0.83 ₺40.99

43.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.64 ₺31.66

39.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$2.17 ₺107

94.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$9.33 ₺462

-15.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.61 ₺79.5

-26.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$2.29 ₺113

-17.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.69 ₺34.14

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.05 ₺102

-18.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.68 ₺33.71

41.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$6.39 ₺317

140.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$1.28 ₺63.6

38.28%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-24.75%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-37.22%

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

$157 BGN 273

$90.3 ₺4,472

73.90%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$4.31 ₺213

390.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$12.49 ₺618

22.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$57.1 ₺2,826

-18.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$3.11 ₺154

803.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$4.10 ₺203

144.88%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$257 ₺12.7K

201.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$10.0K ₺495.3K

25.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$41.09 ₺2,034

114.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$30.69 ₺1,519

34.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$71.6 ₺3,545

49.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$59.3 ₺2,937

79.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$426 ₺21.1K

80.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$300 ₺14.8K

101.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$766 ₺37.9K

104.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$552 ₺27.4K

87.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$1,401 ₺69.3K

226.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$1,041 ₺51.5K

203.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

$1,275 ₺63.1K

36.65%

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: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kastamonu: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Kastamonu

$300 29.8% 50.3% $303

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Kastamonu

$252 25.1% 13.4% $39

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Kastamonu

$180 18% 29.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Kastamonu

$107 10.7% 44.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Kastamonu

$91 9.1% 40.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Kastamonu

$65 6.5% 1.8% $1.2

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Kastamonu

$8.2 * 0.8% 78.7% $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 $770 in Sofia and $426 in Kastamonu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 37% 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: $68.0 in Sofia vs $60.0 in Kastamonu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $291 vs $252 per month, with Kastamonu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Kastamonu

🕒 Local time

08:28 8:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

152,541

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 25, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Kastamonu 880 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kastamonu

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 Kastamonu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia and Kastamonu differ by about 59% in total monthly costs ($1,600 vs $1,004 including rent). Kastamonu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $770 in Sofia versus $426 in Kastamonu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,600 per month in Sofia versus $1,004 in Kastamonu – a 59% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,004 in Kastamonu versus $1,600 in Sofia, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Kastamonu but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kastamonu 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 Kastamonu are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kastamonu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.