Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Mugla

For one person, living is cheaper in Mugla: $966 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Mugla, Turkey
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
Mugla
🇹🇷 Turkey
$966
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Mugla

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $966 in Mugla, rent included.

  • Sofia $1,585
  • Mugla $966

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,504 in Mugla, rent included.

  • Sofia $2,486
  • Mugla $1,504

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,041 in Mugla, rent included.

  • Sofia $3,387
  • Mugla $2,041

Sofia costs about 64% more than Mugla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Mugla is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$10.12 ₺507
63.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$42.66 ₺2,139
58.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$9.08 ₺456
28.63%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$4.12 ₺206
-17.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$1.99 ₺99.8
18.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.54 ₺26.99
209.26%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$3.62 ₺182
10.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$4.90 ₺246
-7.55%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$1.04 ₺52.3
86.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$1.02 ₺51.2
51.96%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$1.89 ₺94.9
24.34%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$2.47 ₺124
86.23%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$8.98 ₺451
27.73%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$4.35 ₺218
98.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$19.51 ₺978
-11.12%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$1.65 ₺82.6
30.30%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.77 ₺88.7
11.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$0.96 ₺47.96
90.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$1.39 ₺69.9
207.19%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$0.45 ₺22.62
131.11%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$0.31 ₺15.54
187.10%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$0.75 ₺37.49
58.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.65 ₺32.48
27.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$2.19 ₺110
100.91%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$9.26 ₺465
-19.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$2.20 ₺110
-47.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$2.06 ₺103
-7.77%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$1.19 ₺59.6
-22.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$0.83 ₺41.45
101.20%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$0.98 ₺49.25
-13.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$4.70 ₺236
252.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$1.40 ₺70.3
24.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$46.0K ₺2.3M
-34.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$39.5K ₺2.0M
-36.61%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$72.1 ₺3,617
118.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$11.27 ₺565
88.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$15.57 ₺781
-2.89%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
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
$7.83 ₺393
27.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$701 ₺35.1K
16.37%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$17.6K ₺880.6K
-16.59%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$48.20 ₺2,418
80.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$32.52 ₺1,631
17.71%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$100 ₺5,017
5.57%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$82.7 ₺4,146
29.66%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$403 ₺20.2K
91.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$305 ₺15.3K
94.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$801 ₺40.2K
90.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$497 ₺24.9K
113.39%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
$1,394 ₺69.9K
224.64%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
$789 ₺39.6K
294.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Mugla
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$1,483 ₺74.4K
20.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
38
-92.39%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mugla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Mugla
$305 48.5% $288
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Mugla
$221 23.1% $66
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Mugla
$196 22.9% $58
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Mugla
$99 49.1% $95
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Mugla
$119 22.1% $34
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Mugla
$16 * 76.6% $51
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Mugla
$10 * 72.2% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $403 in Mugla. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 20% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $43 in Mugla. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $221 – making Mugla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇹🇷 Mugla
🕒 Local time
21:47 9:47 PM
22:47 10:47 PM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
82,717
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.05 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Mugla 750 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Mugla

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 Mugla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Sofia or Mugla?
Sofia costs about 64% more than Mugla, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Sofia and in Mugla?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,449 in Mugla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Sofia or Mugla?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mugla, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $769 in Sofia.
How much does it cost to live in Sofia compared to Mugla?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $966 in Mugla. That makes Mugla about 39% cheaper.
How do childcare costs compare in Sofia and in Mugla?
Kindergarten costs $815 per month in Sofia and $701 in Mugla. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Sofia or in Mugla?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $966 in Mugla. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Mugla – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Sofia compared to Mugla?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Sofia or to Mugla?
If budget matters most, go with Mugla. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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