Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kostanay

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostanay: $961 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Kostanay
Learn more

Kostanay Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kostanay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$961

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kostanay

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $961 in Kostanay, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Kostanay $961

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,450 in Kostanay, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Kostanay $1,450

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,940 in Kostanay, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Kostanay $1,940

Sofia costs about 65% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Kostanay is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$5.60 ₸2,524

195.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$29.09 ₸13.1K

132.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.30 ₸3,289

60.00%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.19 ₸988

55.71%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.17 ₸526

101.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.85 ₸385

96.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.42 ₸639

180.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.61 ₸1,178

73.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.22 ₸551

59.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.49 ₸221

216.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.02 ₸459

130.39%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.18 ₸983

111.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.18 ₸4,590

12.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.00 ₸2,704

44.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.67 ₸3,907

100.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.58 ₸712

36.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.34 ₸1,056

-15.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.88 ₸846

-2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.21 ₸998

93.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.60 ₸270

73.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.64 ₸289

39.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.26 ₸570

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.90 ₸405

-7.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.42 ₸1,089

81.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.05 ₸3,630

-7.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.08 ₸487

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.27 ₸1,025

-16.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.31 ₸141

196.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.97 ₸437

72.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.09 ₸492

-22.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.80 ₸2,616

186.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.59 ₸265

194.92%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$30.5K ₸13.8M

-1.96%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$30.7K ₸13.8M

-18.42%

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

$158 BGN 275

$77.1 ₸34.8K

104.75%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$11.04 ₸4,976

92.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$15.61 ₸7,036

-3.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$48.14 ₸21.7K

-2.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$20.06 ₸9,045

38.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.20 ₸1,891

138.10%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$211 ₸95.3K

285.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,534 ₸2.9M

124.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$95.8 ₸43.2K

-9.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.2 ₸24.9K

-30.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$110 ₸49.4K

-3.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$93.3 ₸42.0K

14.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$395 ₸178.2K

94.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$318 ₸143.5K

86.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$600 ₸270.5K

154.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$486 ₸218.9K

118.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,207 ₸544.1K

275.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$943 ₸425.0K

229.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$649 ₸292.4K

174.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

18.5

-84.38%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kostanay: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kostanay

$318 33.1% 46.3% $275

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kostanay

$202 21% 29.8% $86

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kostanay

$113 11.8% 55.3% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kostanay

$104 10.8% 46.6% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kostanay

$159 16.6% 4.6% $7

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kostanay

$57 5.9% 15.4% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kostanay

$7.7 * 0.8% 79.6% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $395 in Kostanay. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $29 in Kostanay. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $202 – making Kostanay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Kostanay

🕒 Local time

11:08 11:08 AM

14:08 2:08 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

264,446

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Kostanay 3,170 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kostanay

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 Kostanay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 65% more than Kostanay, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,441 in Kostanay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostanay, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $395 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $29 in Kostanay. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $961 in Kostanay. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Kostanay – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kostanay. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.