Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kazan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kazan: $1,335 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
63

Cost of Living Index in Kazan
Learn more

Kazan Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kazan

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,335

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kazan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,335 in Kazan.

Sofia $1,585
Kazan $1,335

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $2,021 in Kazan.

Sofia $2,486
Kazan $2,021

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,707 in Kazan.

Sofia $3,387
Kazan $2,707

Living in Sofia is roughly 19% more expensive than in Kazan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$18.69 ₽1,524

-11.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.60 ₽2,985

84.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.60 ₽457

108.57%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.26 ₽266

4.60%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.47 ₽120

60.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.56 ₽45.85

198.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.82 ₽148

119.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.40 ₽196

88.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.12 ₽91.0

73.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.75 ₽61.0

106.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.64 ₽134

43.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.65 ₽134

178.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.62 ₽947

-1.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.80 ₽391

80.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.79 ₽880

60.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.84 ₽150

16.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.86 ₽152

6.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.74 ₽142

5.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.36 ₽274

27.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.90 ₽73.8

15.56%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.41 ₽33.74

117.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.45 ₽119

-17.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.75 ₽61.1

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.00 ₽245

46.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.64 ₽786

-23.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.25 ₽102

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.93 ₽158

-1.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.59 ₽47.77

55.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$30.30 ₽2,472

-7.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.45 ₽118

15.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.52 ₽42.75

63.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$7.48 ₽610

121.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.88 ₽71.6

97.73%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$53.6K ₽4.4M

-44.19%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.9K ₽3.4M

-40.35%

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

$158 BGN 275

$131 ₽10.7K

20.43%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.12 ₽499

247.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$6.89 ₽562

119.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$37.72 ₽3,077

24.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$31.35 ₽2,557

-11.26%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.01 ₽490

66.39%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$292 ₽23.8K

179.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,702 ₽546.7K

118.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$94.8 ₽7,733

-8.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$93.9 ₽7,654

-59.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$109 ₽8,914

-3.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$81.5 ₽6,645

31.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$685 ₽55.9K

12.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$492 ₽40.1K

20.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,138 ₽92.8K

34.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$818 ₽66.7K

29.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$4,576 ₽373.2K

-1.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$2,425 ₽197.8K

28.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$997 ₽81.3K

78.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.8

-86.11%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kazan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kazan

$492 36.8% 17.1% $101

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kazan

$215 16.1% 25.4% $73

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kazan

$227 17% 10.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kazan

$144 10.8% 25.8% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kazan

$171 12.8% 12.2% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kazan

$50 3.7% 25.6% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kazan

$37 2.8% 2.7% $1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $685 in Kazan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 79% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $37 in Kazan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $215 per month, with Kazan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Kazan

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,257,341

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 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 = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Kazan 2,350 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kazan

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 Kazan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,335 in Kazan, so Kazan is about 16% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 79% 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 $685 in Kazan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kazan – a meal for two runs $37 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $1,335 in Kazan – Kazan is about 16% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $2,000 a month, though Kazan gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

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