Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Oryol

For one person, living is cheaper in Oryol: $725 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Oryol
Learn more

Oryol Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Oryol

🇷🇺 Russia

$725

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Oryol

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $725 in Oryol.

Sofia $1,585
Oryol $725

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,238 in Oryol.

Sofia $2,486
Oryol $1,238

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,750 in Oryol.

Sofia $3,387
Oryol $1,750

Living in Sofia is roughly 119% more expensive than in Oryol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Oryol is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 29.00

$12.32 ₽1,008

34.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$45.50 ₽3,724

48.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.44

$6.27 ₽513

86.28%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.96

$3.22 ₽263

5.90%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.13

$1.26 ₽103

87.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$0.63 ₽51.9

165.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.98

$2.49 ₽204

60.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.93

$1.88 ₽153

140.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.39

$1.23 ₽101

57.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.72

$0.65 ₽53.0

138.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.12

$1.66 ₽136

41.57%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.05

$1.60 ₽131

187.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 20.07

$8.24 ₽675

39.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.13

$6.18 ₽506

39.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.34

$18.91 ₽1,547

-8.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$1.35 ₽110

59.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.47

$1.92 ₽157

3.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.20

$4.17 ₽341

-56.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.47

$3.80 ₽311

12.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$0.80 ₽65.8

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.55 ₽45.17

61.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$1.20 ₽97.8

-0.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.46

$0.73 ₽59.5

13.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.70

$3.16 ₽258

39.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.98

$8.72 ₽714

-14.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$1.26 ₽103

-7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.32

$1.26 ₽103

50.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.61

$0.45 ₽36.56

104.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 49.19

$43.10 ₽3,527

-34.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.92

$3.73 ₽305

-55.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.27 ₽22.26

214.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 29.04

$6.33 ₽518

162.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.85 ₽69.4

104.71%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.4K

$47.1K ₽3.9M

-36.40%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.8K

$17.3K ₽1.4M

44.65%

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

$158 BGN 276

$62.1 ₽5,081

154.24%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.22

$6.49 ₽532

227.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.46

$6.13 ₽502

146.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 82.0

$36.52 ₽2,988

28.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.69

$18.49 ₽1,513

50.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.49

$8.58 ₽702

16.55%

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

$815 BGN 1,427

$247 ₽20.2K

230.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$43.22 ₽3,537

101.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 67.0

$37.16 ₽3,041

3.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 185

$75.3 ₽6,163

40.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 188

$123 ₽10.1K

-12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,345

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,038

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,677

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,856

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,920

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,441

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,116

$730 ₽59.8K

143.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-85.55%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oryol: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Oryol

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Oryol

$241 33.3% 16.1% $46

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Oryol

$180 24.8% 29.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Oryol

$75 10.3% 61.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Oryol

$125 17.3% 17.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Oryol

$54 7.4% 19.7% $13

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Oryol

$50 6.9% 32.5% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

Sofia pays about 2.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $46 in Oryol for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $241 per month, with Oryol cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Oryol

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

303,696

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.84 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.96 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Oryol 1,480 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Oryol

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 Oryol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oryol is about 54% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Sofia is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $725 in Oryol – Oryol is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 35% less than in Oryol. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

At $725 in Oryol versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Oryol but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Oryol 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 Oryol are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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