Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Maltepe

For one person, living is cheaper in Maltepe: $988 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Maltepe
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Maltepe Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Maltepe

🇹🇷 Turkey

$988

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Maltepe

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $988 in Maltepe, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Maltepe $988

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $1,541 in Maltepe, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Maltepe $1,541

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $2,094 in Maltepe, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Maltepe $2,094

Sofia costs about 63% more than Maltepe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Maltepe is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.53

$9.86 ₺491

71.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 116

$29.96 ₺1,492

121.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.29

$7.43 ₺370

55.99%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.17

$3.72 ₺185

-5.38%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$1.05 ₺52.3

130.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$0.37 ₺18.61

378.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.44

$2.27 ₺113

62.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$2.94 ₺147

48.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.42

$0.99 ₺49.34

97.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.75 ₺37.45

101.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.28 ₺114

-3.51%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.71

$2.33 ₺116

88.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$10.23 ₺510

14.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.19

$5.05 ₺251

71.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.40

$18.97 ₺945

-8.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.73

$1.66 ₺82.9

28.31%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.59

$1.90 ₺94.9

7.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.38

$1.05 ₺52.5

83.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.30

$1.25 ₺62.0

233.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$0.62 ₺30.72

74.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.39 ₺19.49

133.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.76 ₺37.69

55.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.59 ₺29.36

42.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.32

$2.09 ₺104

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.43

$12.94 ₺645

-40.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.99 ₺99.3

-41.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.16

$2.18 ₺109

-17.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.69 ₺34.37

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 50.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.94

$1.03 ₺51.1

63.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$0.89 ₺44.43

-2.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.58

$6.78 ₺338

132.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$1.34 ₺66.9

29.10%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.9K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-33.22%

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

$25.6K BGN 44.8K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-36.54%

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

$161 BGN 282

$75.1 ₺3,743

114.12%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.89

$10.92 ₺544

93.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.58

$14.44 ₺720

5.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 84.6

$53.2 ₺2,651

-9.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.07

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.78

$6.08 ₺303

67.11%

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

$785 BGN 1,374

$619 ₺30.8K

26.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.1K ₺550.9K

15.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 157

$44.01 ₺2,193

104.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$34.48 ₺1,718

19.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 188

$80.8 ₺4,025

33.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 191

$90.9 ₺4,530

20.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,381

$412 ₺20.5K

91.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,057

$301 ₺15.0K

100.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,654

$780 ₺38.8K

94.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,814

$560 ₺27.9K

85.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,712

$1,408 ₺70.2K

212.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,490

$1,009 ₺50.3K

210.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,038

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

40.69

-92.90%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Maltepe: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Maltepe

$301 30.4% 50.2% $303

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Maltepe

$232 23.5% 19.5% $56

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Maltepe

$169 17.1% 34.1% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Maltepe

$100 10.2% 49% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Maltepe

$113 11.4% 28.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Maltepe

$65 6.6% 4.8% $3.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Maltepe

$8.3 * 0.8% 78.6% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $412 in Maltepe. 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 $66 in Sofia versus $30 in Maltepe. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $232 – making Maltepe the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Maltepe

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

15:55 3:55 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

523,137

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Maltepe 520 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Maltepe

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 Maltepe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 63%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $1,482 in Maltepe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maltepe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $412 there versus $789 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia and $30 in Maltepe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.