Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Osh

For one person, living is cheaper in Osh: $691 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Osh
Learn more

Osh Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Osh

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$691

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Osh

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

A single person spends $1,589 per month in Sofia vs $691 in Osh, rent included.

Sofia $1,589
Osh $691

A couple spends around $2,456 per month in Sofia vs $1,118 in Osh, rent included.

Sofia $2,456
Osh $1,118

A family of three spends $3,324 per month in Sofia vs $1,544 in Osh, rent included.

Sofia $3,324
Osh $1,544

Sofia costs about 130% more than Osh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 19% above the global median, while Osh is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.10 BGN 29.93

$4.46 KGS 390

283.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.9 BGN 117

$23.08 KGS 2,017

189.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.77 BGN 20.59

$9.33 KGS 815

26.15%

Cappuccino

$3.42 BGN 5.99

$1.91 KGS 167

79.06%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.23

$0.84 KGS 73.3

188.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$0.28 KGS 24.71

564.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

$1.12 KGS 97.8

197.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

$1.29 KGS 113

251.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$0.86 KGS 74.8

123.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$0.38 KGS 32.81

297.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.21 BGN 3.88

$1.21 KGS 106

82.64%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.69

$1.45 KGS 127

203.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.56 BGN 20.22

$4.84 KGS 423

138.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.79 BGN 15.38

$3.52 KGS 308

149.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 BGN 29.71

$7.92 KGS 692

114.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.79

$0.67 KGS 58.7

223.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.57

$1.55 KGS 135

31.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.22

$2.21 KGS 193

-16.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 BGN 7.51

$1.19 KGS 104

260.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.80

$0.47 KGS 40.88

119.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$0.46 KGS 40.30

102.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 BGN 2.11

$0.59 KGS 51.2

103.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BGN 1.62

$0.70 KGS 61.2

31.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.30 BGN 7.53

$2.11 KGS 185

103.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

$5.08 KGS 444

44.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$1.11 KGS 96.7

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$1.65 KGS 144

13.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.22 KGS 19.14

295.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

$11.97 KGS 1,046

135.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$0.24 KGS 21.01

625.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$0.33 KGS 29.15

190.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

$7.55 KGS 660

105.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.00 KGS 87.6

79.00%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

$18.4K KGS 1.6M

63.21%

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

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

$17.0K KGS 1.5M

54.92%

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

$156 BGN 273

$38.39 KGS 3,356

306.25%

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

$21.21 BGN 37.11

$4.97 KGS 435

326.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.64 BGN 27.37

$9.38 KGS 820

66.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$45.54 KGS 3,981

2.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.74 BGN 48.54

$20.09 KGS 1,756

38.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.02 BGN 17.53

$3.33 KGS 291

200.90%

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

$766 BGN 1,341

$169 KGS 14.8K

354.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$1,886 KGS 164.8K

578.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 BGN 157

$18.96 KGS 1,658

373.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 BGN 71.5

$36.46 KGS 3,187

12.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 186

$53.9 KGS 4,713

96.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$52.2 KGS 4,564

100.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$796 BGN 1,393

$367 KGS 32.1K

117.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 BGN 1,063

$272 KGS 23.8K

123.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,563 BGN 2,735

$900 KGS 78.7K

73.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 BGN 1,855

$578 KGS 50.6K

83.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

$1,233 KGS 107.8K

253.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

$1,010 KGS 88.3K

221.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,740 BGN 3,044

$308 KGS 26.9K

464.80%

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: October 3, 2026

Last update for Osh: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$607 37.9%

Osh

$272 38.8% 55.2% $335

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$287 17.9%

Osh

$138 19.7% 51.9% $149

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 16%

Osh

$99 14.1% 61.3% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12%

Osh

$53 7.5% 72.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Osh

$73 10.4% 52.7% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Osh

$52 7.4% 21.8% $15

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Osh

$15 2.1% 61.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $796 in Sofia versus $367 in Osh. 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 465% 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 $67.0 in Sofia versus $23.00 in Osh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $138 – making Osh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇬 Osh

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

270,347

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KGS, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 87.42 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.05 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Osh 4,060 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Osh

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 Osh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 130% more than Osh, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,384 per month in Sofia and $1,037 in Osh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Osh, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,589 in Sofia and $691 in Osh. That's a gap of about 130%.

Public transport costs about 135% less in Osh. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Osh, where all-in costs run around $691, than in Sofia at $1,589. In Osh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Osh costs $691 versus $1,589 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Osh. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.