Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kostroma

For one person, living is cheaper in Kostroma: $1,332 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Kostroma
Learn more

Kostroma Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kostroma

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,332

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kostroma

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,332 in Kostroma, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Kostroma $1,332

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $2,092 in Kostroma, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Kostroma $2,092

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,851 in Kostroma, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Kostroma $2,851

Sofia costs about 19% more than Kostroma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.21 ₽996

35.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$61.8 ₽5,036

9.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.53 ₽614

55.11%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.88 ₽316

-12.11%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.65 ₽135

43.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.85 ₽69.1

96.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.90 ₽155

110.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.96 ₽404

-8.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.25 ₽102

55.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.04 ₽85.1

49.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.73 ₽141

35.84%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.95 ₽159

135.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.37 ₽1,172

-20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.89 ₽562

25.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.76 ₽1,203

17.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.08 ₽169

3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.87 ₽152

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.00 ₽163

-8.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.80 ₽310

12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.89 ₽72.9

16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.69 ₽56.0

28.99%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.65 ₽134

-27.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.97 ₽79.4

-14.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.58 ₽292

22.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.22 ₽997

-39.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.23 ₽100

-5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.65 ₽216

-28.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.60 ₽49.16

53.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$30.32 ₽2,473

-7.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.62 ₽295

-53.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.35 ₽28.15

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.10 ₽497

171.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.85 ₽69.2

104.71%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$43.7K ₽3.6M

-31.52%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.0K ₽3.3M

-37.43%

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

$158 BGN 275

$182 ₽14.9K

-13.32%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.47 ₽691

151.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.65 ₽787

56.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$41.59 ₽3,392

12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$23.96 ₽1,955

16.11%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.49 ₽774

5.37%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$356 ₽29.0K

129.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,304 ₽514.1K

132.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$106 ₽8,633

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$67.8 ₽5,528

-43.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$143 ₽11.7K

-26.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$176 ₽14.3K

-39.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$434 ₽35.4K

77.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$349 ₽28.5K

69.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$900 ₽73.4K

69.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$607 ₽49.5K

74.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,294 ₽187.1K

97.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,550 ₽126.4K

100.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$776 ₽63.3K

129.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.36

-85.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kostroma: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kostroma

$349 26.2% 41.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kostroma

$266 20% 7.5% $22

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kostroma

$196 14.7% 22.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kostroma

$200 15% 3.1% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kostroma

$222 16.6% 45.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kostroma

$61 4.6% 9.4% $6.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kostroma

$38 2.9% 0.9% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $434 in Kostroma. 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 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $62 in Kostroma. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $266 – making Kostroma the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Kostroma

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

277,393

💱 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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Between locations

Sofia Kostroma 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kostroma

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 Kostroma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 19% more than Kostroma, 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 $1,998 in Kostroma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kostroma, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $62 in Kostroma. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,332 in Kostroma. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

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