Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Namangan

For one person, living is cheaper in Namangan: $693 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Namangan

🇺🇿 Uzbekistan

$693

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Namangan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $693 in Namangan.

Sofia $1,585
Namangan $693

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $944 in Namangan.

Sofia $2,486
Namangan $944

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,195 in Namangan.

Sofia $3,387
Namangan $1,195

Living in Sofia is roughly 129% more expensive than in Namangan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Namangan is 49% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$4.31 UZS 51.6K

284.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$12.51 UZS 149.8K

441.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.31 UZS 51.6K

171.00%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.43 UZS 17.1K

138.46%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.73 UZS 8,749

223.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.32 UZS 3,833

421.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.71 UZS 20.5K

133.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.69 UZS 8,239

181.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.34 UZS 4,124

355.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$0.85 UZS 10.2K

176.47%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.17 UZS 14.0K

293.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$3.28 UZS 39.3K

163.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.18 UZS 122.0K

70.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.03 UZS 12.3K

108.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.88 UZS 22.5K

5.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.33 UZS 27.9K

-21.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$0.68 UZS 8,169

527.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.52 UZS 6,205

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.43 UZS 5,191

106.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.26 UZS 3,123

357.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.48 UZS 5,735

72.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.11 UZS 25.3K

108.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.19 UZS 2,224

384.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.37 UZS 4,401

351.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.22 UZS 2,640

286.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.52 UZS 30.2K

558.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.25 UZS 15.0K

39.20%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

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

$158 BGN 275

$210 UZS 2.5M

-24.90%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$2.82 UZS 33.7K

654.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.73 UZS 152.4K

18.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$103 UZS 1.2M

-54.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$12.77 UZS 152.9K

117.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.25 UZS 50.9K

135.29%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$16.75 UZS 200.6K

419.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$33.09 UZS 396.3K

15.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$198 UZS 2.4M

287.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$150 UZS 1.8M

295.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$295 UZS 3.5M

418.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$201 UZS 2.4M

426.70%

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

$393 UZS 4.7M

352.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Namangan: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Namangan

–

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Namangan

–

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Namangan

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Namangan

–

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Namangan

–

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Namangan

–

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Namangan

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $198 in Namangan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $13 in Namangan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $104 per month, with Namangan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇺🇿 Namangan

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

678,200

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Uzbekistani Som UZS soʻm

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD

100,000 UZS = 7.47 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UZS, 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Uzbekistani Som exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 11,975 UZS (100,000 UZS = 8.35 USD). 1 EUR = 13,383 UZS (100,000 UZS = 7.47 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Sofia Namangan 3,950 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

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Sofia
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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 Namangan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Namangan wins on cost – living expenses run 56% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Namangan the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Sofia is about 4.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $198 in Namangan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $693 in Namangan – Namangan is about 56% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Supermarket bills run roughly 177% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $693 in Namangan versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $800 budget is realistic in Namangan but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Namangan 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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Namangan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Namangan wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.