Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Moscow

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,585 a month against $1,843 in Moscow, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Moscow outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Moscow
Learn more

Moscow Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Moscow

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Moscow

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,843 in Moscow, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Moscow $1,843

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $2,822 in Moscow, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Moscow $2,822

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $3,801 in Moscow, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Moscow $3,801

Sofia is about 14% cheaper than Moscow, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sofia and Moscow sit above the global median – Sofia by 17%, Moscow by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.14 ₽990

36.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$62.2 ₽5,070

8.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.31 ₽596

59.78%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.72 ₽303

-8.33%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.67 ₽136

41.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.83 ₽67.4

101.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$5.03 ₽410

-20.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.84 ₽395

-6.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.24 ₽101

56.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.00 ₽81.2

55.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.71 ₽139

37.43%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.90 ₽155

142.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.34 ₽1,170

-20.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.65 ₽543

30.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.53 ₽1,185

19.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.07 ₽169

3.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.89 ₽154

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.91 ₽156

-4.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.96 ₽323

7.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.93 ₽75.7

11.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.70 ₽57.2

27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.64 ₽134

-27.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.92 ₽74.8

-9.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.50 ₽286

25.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.25 ₽999

-39.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.18 ₽96.2

-1.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.54 ₽207

-25.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.95 ₽77.2

-3.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$42.83 ₽3,493

-34.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.60 ₽294

-53.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.76 ₽62.3

11.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$11.20 ₽914

48.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.90 ₽73.2

93.33%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$42.9K ₽3.5M

-30.16%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.0K ₽3.3M

-37.54%

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

$158 BGN 275

$177 ₽14.5K

-11.01%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.76 ₽714

142.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.72 ₽793

55.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$42.21 ₽3,442

10.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$46.14 ₽3,763

-39.71%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.50 ₽775

5.26%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$869 ₽70.9K

-6.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$30.2K ₽2.5M

-51.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$106 ₽8,666

-18.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$67.5 ₽5,508

-43.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$144 ₽11.7K

-26.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$179 ₽14.6K

-40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$1,481 ₽120.8K

-48.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$837 ₽68.2K

-29.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$3,018 ₽246.1K

-49.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,487 ₽121.3K

-28.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$9,639 ₽786.2K

-53.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$4,728 ₽385.6K

-34.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,804 ₽147.1K

-1.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.36

-85.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Moscow: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Moscow

$837 45.4% 41.1% $244

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Moscow

$263 14.3% 8.6% $25

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Moscow

$208 11.3% 17.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Moscow

$196 10.6% 0.8% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Moscow

$223 12.1% 46.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Moscow

$61 3.3% 8.4% $5.6

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Moscow

$54 2.9% 43.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $1,481 in Moscow. 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 $62 in Moscow. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $263 – making Moscow the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Moscow

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

12,700,000 Capital

💱 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 = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sofia
Moscow

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 Moscow: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Moscow costs about 16% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $2,764 in Moscow. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $769 there versus $1,481 in Moscow.

Public transport costs about 34% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $869 in Moscow. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,585 versus $1,843 in Moscow. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.