Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kursk

For one person, living is cheaper in Kursk: $955 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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 Kursk
Learn more

Kursk Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kursk

🇷🇺 Russia

$955

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kursk

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $955 in Kursk, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Kursk $955

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,307 in Kursk, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Kursk $1,307

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,659 in Kursk, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Kursk $1,659

Sofia costs about 66% more than Kursk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.87 ₽806

67.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$44.41 ₽3,627

52.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.99 ₽408

134.07%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.18 ₽178

56.42%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.48 ₽120

59.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.51 ₽41.81

227.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.96 ₽242

34.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.82 ₽230

60.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.73 ₽60.0

165.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.29 ₽23.48

434.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.99 ₽80.5

137.37%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.18 ₽96.2

289.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$5.11 ₽418

124.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.95 ₽404

74.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$6.84 ₽558

153.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.41 ₽115

52.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.01 ₽82.7

96.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.98 ₽80.3

86.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.02 ₽165

111.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.79 ₽64.5

31.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.31 ₽25.61

187.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.01 ₽82.8

17.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.74 ₽60.6

12.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.69 ₽219

63.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.89 ₽644

-5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.23 ₽101

-5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$3.51 ₽287

-45.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.38 ₽30.73

142.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.20 ₽98.4

39.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.72 ₽548

146.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.89 ₽72.4

95.51%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$54.1K ₽4.4M

-44.67%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$42.3K ₽3.5M

-40.92%

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

$158 BGN 275

$137 ₽11.1K

15.62%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.37 ₽520

233.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$6.24 ₽509

142.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.53 ₽451

80.83%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$485 ₽39.6K

68.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$168 ₽13.7K

-48.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$138 ₽11.2K

-72.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$231 ₽18.9K

-54.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$74.1 ₽6,050

44.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$366 ₽29.9K

110.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$218 ₽17.8K

172.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-80.73%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kursk: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kursk

$218 22.8% 63.3% $376

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kursk

$152 15.9% 47.3% $136

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kursk

$149 15.6% 41.4% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kursk

$149 15.6% 23.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kursk

$275 28.8% 80.5% $123

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kursk

$11 * 1.2% 83.5% $56

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kursk

$2.7 * 0.3% 92.8% $35

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 $366 in Kursk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $44 in Kursk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $152 – making Kursk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Kursk

🕒 Local time

01:41 1:41 AM

02:41 2:41 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

450,977

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 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 5, 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Kursk 1,390 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kursk

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 Kursk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $955 in Kursk – Kursk comes out roughly 40% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,433 in Kursk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kursk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $366 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $955 in Kursk. That makes Kursk about 40% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $485 in Kursk. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Kursk, where all-in costs run around $955, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Kursk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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