Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Kyzylorda

For one person, living is cheaper in Kyzylorda: $658 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Kyzylorda
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Kyzylorda Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Kyzylorda

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$658

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Kyzylorda

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $658 in Kyzylorda.

Sofia $1,585
Kyzylorda $658

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,023 in Kyzylorda.

Sofia $2,486
Kyzylorda $1,023

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,388 in Kyzylorda.

Sofia $3,387
Kyzylorda $1,388

Living in Sofia is roughly 141% more expensive than in Kyzylorda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Kyzylorda is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.01 ₸4,041

83.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$33.73 ₸15.1K

100.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.36 ₸1,060

44.49%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.36 ₸608

73.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.43 ₸192

288.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.38 ₸1,066

67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.29 ₸1,477

37.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.34 ₸600

44.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.26 ₸118

496.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.95 ₸425

147.37%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.36 ₸611

238.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$2.04 ₸917

324.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$4.68 ₸2,098

270.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.33 ₸598

61.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.12 ₸950

-6.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.99 ₸892

-8.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.55 ₸1,145

67.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.31 ₸588

-20.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.62 ₸280

43.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.31 ₸586

-9.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.94 ₸420

-11.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.40 ₸1,078

83.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$2.37 ₸1,062

213.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.19 ₸535

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.86 ₸833

2.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.19 ₸84.5

384.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.85 ₸383

96.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.79 ₸353

7.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.57 ₸258

205.26%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$29.2K ₸13.1M

2.61%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$30.7K ₸13.7M

-18.40%

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

$158 BGN 275

$76.6 ₸34.3K

106.14%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.73 ₸3,916

143.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$15.44 ₸6,926

-2.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$32.68 ₸14.7K

43.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$17.51 ₸7,852

58.88%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.92 ₸2,657

68.92%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$44.18 ₸19.8K

97.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$56.3 ₸25.2K

-32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$52.3 ₸23.5K

101.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$66.8 ₸30.0K

60.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$185 ₸83.0K

315.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$157 ₸70.3K

278.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$283 ₸126.9K

440.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$219 ₸98.3K

383.95%

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

$328 ₸147.2K

442.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-87.43%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kyzylorda: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Kyzylorda

$157 23.8% 73.6% $436

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Kyzylorda

$126 * 19.1% 56.3% $162

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Kyzylorda

$126 * 19.2% 50.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Kyzylorda

$101 15.3% 48.1% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Kyzylorda

$99 15% 35.1% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Kyzylorda

$45 6.8% 33.4% $22

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Kyzylorda

$5.5 * 0.8% 85.3% $32

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 $769 in Sofia and $185 in Kyzylorda. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 5.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $34 in Kyzylorda for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $126 per month, with Kyzylorda cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Kyzylorda

🕒 Local time

21:21 9:21 PM

00:21 12:21 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

206,719

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Kyzylorda 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Kyzylorda

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 Kyzylorda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kyzylorda wins on cost – living expenses run 58% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kyzylorda the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sofia is about 5.4 times higher, 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 $185 in Kyzylorda. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $658 in Kyzylorda – Kyzylorda is about 58% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 129% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $658 in Kyzylorda versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Kyzylorda but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Kyzylorda 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.

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