Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oktyabr'skiy

For one person, living is cheaper in Oktyabr’skiy: $1,089 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Oktyabr'skiy
Learn more

Oktyabr'skiy Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Oktyabr'skiy

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,089

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oktyabr'skiy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,089 in Oktyabr’skiy.

Sofia $1,585
Oktyabr'skiy $1,089

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,693 in Oktyabr’skiy.

Sofia $2,486
Oktyabr'skiy $1,693

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,296 in Oktyabr’skiy.

Sofia $3,387
Oktyabr'skiy $2,296

Living in Sofia is roughly 46% more expensive than in Oktyabr’skiy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Oktyabr’skiy is 19% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.66 ₽710

91.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$42.48 ₽3,480

59.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.39 ₽441

116.70%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.27 ₽186

50.22%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.12 ₽91.6

110.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.50 ₽40.62

234.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.83 ₽150

118.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.17 ₽260

42.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.25 ₽102

55.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.02 ₽83.8

51.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.61 ₽132

45.96%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.51 ₽124

204.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.26 ₽1,004

-6.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$7.32 ₽600

18.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$7.56 ₽619

129.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.85 ₽152

16.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.81 ₽148

9.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.95 ₽159

-6.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$4.09 ₽335

4.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.88 ₽72.3

18.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.38 ₽31.27

134.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.49 ₽122

-20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.56 ₽46.13

48.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.64 ₽217

66.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.87 ₽645

-5.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.13 ₽92.4

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.90 ₽156

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.49 ₽39.87

87.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$28.57 ₽2,340

-1.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$3.58 ₽294

-53.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.29 ₽23.82

193.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$3.59 ₽294

362.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.82 ₽67.0

112.20%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$54.1K ₽4.4M

-44.71%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-40.10%

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

$158 BGN 275

$146 ₽12.0K

8.12%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$4.89 ₽401

334.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$14.38 ₽1,178

5.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$34.96 ₽2,864

34.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$23.75 ₽1,946

17.14%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.47 ₽530

54.56%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$348 ₽28.5K

134.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,942 ₽486.8K

146.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$91.1 ₽7,466

-4.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.0 ₽4,502

-30.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$137 ₽11.2K

-23.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$86.8 ₽7,108

23.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$435 ₽35.6K

76.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$319 ₽26.1K

86.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$836 ₽68.5K

82.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$569 ₽46.6K

86.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,064 ₽169.1K

119.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,644 ₽134.6K

89.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

25.03

-88.45%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oktyabr'skiy: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Oktyabr'skiy

$319 29.3% 46.3% $274

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Oktyabr'skiy

$221 20.3% 23.2% $67

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Oktyabr'skiy

$135 12.4% 46.9% $119

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Oktyabr'skiy

$165 15.2% 14.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Oktyabr'skiy

$167 15.3% 9.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Oktyabr'skiy

$48 4.4% 28.3% $19

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oktyabr'skiy

$36 3.3% 5.8% $2.2

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $435 in Oktyabr’skiy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $42 in Oktyabr’skiy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $221 per month, with Oktyabr’skiy cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Oktyabr'skiy

🕒 Local time

20:25 8:25 PM

21:25 9:25 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

12,000

💱 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 = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Oktyabr'skiy 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oktyabr'skiy

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 Oktyabr'skiy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oktyabr’skiy is about 31% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,634 in Oktyabr’skiy to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $769 in Sofia versus $435 in Oktyabr’skiy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $348 in Oktyabr’skiy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Oktyabr’skiy – a meal for two runs $42 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,089 in Oktyabr’skiy versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Oktyabr’skiy but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Oktyabr’skiy 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 Oktyabr’skiy are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.