Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Lyubertsy

For one person, living is cheaper in Lyubertsy: $727 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Lyubertsy
Learn more

Lyubertsy Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Lyubertsy

🇷🇺 Russia

$727

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Lyubertsy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $727 in Lyubertsy.

Sofia $1,585
Lyubertsy $727

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,228 in Lyubertsy.

Sofia $2,486
Lyubertsy $1,228

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,728 in Lyubertsy.

Sofia $3,387
Lyubertsy $1,728

Living in Sofia is roughly 118% more expensive than in Lyubertsy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Lyubertsy is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.14 ₽992

36.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$55.7 ₽4,547

21.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.23 ₽591

61.55%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.00 ₽245

13.67%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.10 ₽89.8

114.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.87 ₽71.2

91.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.27 ₽103

214.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.50 ₽204

81.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.00 ₽81.6

94.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.00 ₽81.9

55.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.69 ₽138

39.05%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.65 ₽135

178.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$9.51 ₽776

20.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.67 ₽544

29.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.78 ₽962

47.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.32 ₽108

62.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.25 ₽102

58.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.26 ₽103

45.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.56 ₽209

66.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.91 ₽74.1

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.40 ₽32.73

122.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.65 ₽53.1

83.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.54 ₽43.95

53.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.83 ₽231

55.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$6.17 ₽504

20.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.92 ₽75.2

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.89 ₽154

0.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$41.67 ₽3,403

-32.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.62 ₽296

-53.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.32 ₽26.19

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.90 ₽400

238.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.91 ₽74.4

91.21%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$43.2K ₽3.5M

-30.64%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.5K ₽3.3M

-38.22%

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

$158 BGN 275

$113 ₽9,189

40.28%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$4.98 ₽406

327.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$5.87 ₽479

157.58%

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

$6.81 ₽556

46.84%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$214 ₽17.5K

280.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,682 ₽300.7K

297.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$52.5 ₽4,284

66.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$30.39 ₽2,482

25.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$146 ₽11.9K

-27.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$156 ₽12.8K

-31.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

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

-84.79%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Lyubertsy: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Lyubertsy

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Lyubertsy

$196 27% 31.9% $92

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Lyubertsy

$174 24% 31.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Lyubertsy

$123 17% 36.5% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Lyubertsy

$173 23.8% 13.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Lyubertsy

$14 * 1.9% 79.6% $53

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Lyubertsy

$47 * 6.5% 24.3% $9.2

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $56 in Lyubertsy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $196 per month, with Lyubertsy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Lyubertsy

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

208,397

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.76 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Lyubertsy 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Lyubertsy

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 Lyubertsy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $727 in Lyubertsy, so Lyubertsy is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,090 in Lyubertsy to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Lyubertsy – a meal for two runs $56 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $727 in Lyubertsy versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Lyubertsy but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Lyubertsy 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.