Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Obninsk

For one person, living is cheaper in Obninsk: $1,196 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Obninsk
Learn more

Obninsk Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Obninsk

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,196

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Obninsk

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,196 in Obninsk, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Obninsk $1,196

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,805 in Obninsk, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Obninsk $1,805

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,413 in Obninsk, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Obninsk $2,413

Sofia costs about 33% more than Obninsk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Obninsk is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.57 ₽781

73.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.78 ₽3,004

84.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.37 ₽602

58.48%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.01 ₽246

13.29%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.20 ₽98.0

96.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.48 ₽38.85

247.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.81 ₽148

120.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.39 ₽195

89.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.17 ₽95.6

65.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.60 ₽48.94

158.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.77 ₽144

32.77%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.30 ₽106

253.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$7.69 ₽628

49.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.79 ₽391

80.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.38 ₽684

106.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.60 ₽131

34.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.69 ₽138

17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.90 ₽155

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.48 ₽202

72.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.53 ₽43.34

96.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.54 ₽43.97

64.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.99 ₽81.1

20.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.55 ₽45.04

50.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.43 ₽280

28.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.76 ₽716

-15.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.24 ₽102

-6.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.90 ₽155

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.53 ₽43.47

73.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$24.47 ₽1,998

14.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.59 ₽293

-53.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.36 ₽28.99

136.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.16 ₽503

169.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.91 ₽74.2

91.21%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$43.6K ₽3.6M

-31.26%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.6K ₽3.2M

-36.85%

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

$158 BGN 275

$181 ₽14.8K

-12.87%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.59 ₽702

147.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.73 ₽794

55.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$38.25 ₽3,123

22.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$26.87 ₽2,194

3.54%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.08 ₽742

10.13%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$354 ₽28.9K

130.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,281 ₽512.9K

133.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$105 ₽8,568

-16.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$66.2 ₽5,409

-42.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$143 ₽11.7K

-26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$177 ₽14.5K

-39.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$500 ₽40.8K

53.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$351 ₽28.6K

69.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$932 ₽76.1K

64.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$596 ₽48.7K

77.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,255 ₽184.1K

100.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,505 ₽122.9K

106.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

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 Obninsk: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Obninsk

$351 29.3% 40.9% $242

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Obninsk

$181 15.1% 37.1% $107

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Obninsk

$155 13% 38.8% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Obninsk

$199 16.7% 2.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Obninsk

$221 18.5% 45.3% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Obninsk

$56 4.7% 15.6% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Obninsk

$32 2.7% 15.3% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $500 in Obninsk. 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 $37 in Obninsk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $181 – making Obninsk the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Obninsk

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

116,179

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 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 = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Obninsk 1,680 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Obninsk

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 Obninsk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 33% more than Obninsk, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,794 in Obninsk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Obninsk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $500 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $37 in Obninsk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,196 in Obninsk. That makes Obninsk about 25% cheaper.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $1,196 in Obninsk. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Obninsk is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 25% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.