Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Makhachkala

For one person, living is cheaper in Makhachkala: $1,119 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,119

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Makhachkala

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,119 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Makhachkala $1,119

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,771 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Makhachkala $1,771

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,422 in Makhachkala, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Makhachkala $2,422

Sofia costs about 42% more than Makhachkala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.92 ₽891

51.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$46.03 ₽3,754

47.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.55 ₽534

78.32%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.85 ₽232

19.65%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.23 ₽100

91.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.58 ₽47.65

187.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.88 ₽154

112.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.53 ₽288

28.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.17 ₽95.3

65.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.81 ₽65.8

91.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.40 ₽114

67.86%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.58 ₽129

191.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.17 ₽993

-5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.56 ₽453

55.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.26 ₽918

54.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.85 ₽151

16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.79 ₽146

10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.73 ₽141

5.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.00 ₽245

42.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.80 ₽65.4

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.59 ₽48.26

50.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.57 ₽128

-24.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.73 ₽59.6

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.92 ₽238

50.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.50 ₽694

-12.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.09 ₽88.6

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.37 ₽193

-19.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.58 ₽47.00

58.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$29.54 ₽2,409

-4.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.35 ₽191

-28.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.39 ₽31.83

117.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.37 ₽519

160.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.88 ₽71.8

97.73%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$46.0K ₽3.7M

-34.89%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$37.0K ₽3.0M

-32.35%

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

$158 BGN 275

$125 ₽10.2K

26.47%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$5.77 ₽470

268.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.34 ₽762

61.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.68 ₽2,992

27.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$27.65 ₽2,256

0.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.50 ₽530

53.85%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$352 ₽28.7K

131.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,172 ₽503.4K

137.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$92.0 ₽7,501

-5.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$49.71 ₽4,054

-22.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$148 ₽12.0K

-28.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$132 ₽10.7K

-18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$492 ₽40.1K

56.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$322 ₽26.2K

84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$917 ₽74.8K

66.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$585 ₽47.7K

81.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,252 ₽183.7K

100.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,507 ₽122.9K

106.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$638 ₽52.1K

178.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

21.33

-86.45%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Makhachkala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Makhachkala

$322 28.8% 45.7% $271

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Makhachkala

$218 19.4% 24.4% $70

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Makhachkala

$165 14.7% 35% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Makhachkala

$140 12.5% 28% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Makhachkala

$189 16.9% 24.5% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Makhachkala

$50 4.4% 25.7% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Makhachkala

$36 3.2% 4.2% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $492 in Makhachkala. 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 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $46 in Makhachkala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $218 – making Makhachkala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🕒 Local time

10:25 10:25 AM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

604,266

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Makhachkala 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Makhachkala

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 Makhachkala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 42%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,679 in Makhachkala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Makhachkala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $492 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $46 in Makhachkala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Makhachkala, where all-in costs run around $1,119, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Makhachkala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Makhachkala – 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 Makhachkala. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.