Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Pavlodar

For one person, living is cheaper in Pavlodar: $731 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Pavlodar
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Pavlodar Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Pavlodar

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Pavlodar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $731 in Pavlodar.

Sofia $1,585
Pavlodar $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,148 in Pavlodar.

Sofia $2,486
Pavlodar $1,148

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,565 in Pavlodar.

Sofia $3,387
Pavlodar $1,565

Living in Sofia is roughly 117% more expensive than in Pavlodar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.49 ₸2,926

155.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$22.42 ₸10.1K

201.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$8.67 ₸3,909

34.72%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.67 ₸751

104.19%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.19 ₸536

98.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.52 ₸235

221.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.13 ₸507

253.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.40 ₸629

223.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.00 ₸450

94.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.34 ₸153

355.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.36 ₸614

72.79%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.53 ₸688

200.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$5.24 ₸2,360

118.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.60 ₸2,074

88.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$6.80 ₸3,064

155.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.42 ₸640

51.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.66 ₸746

19.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.74 ₸784

5.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.62 ₸732

163.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.97 ₸437

7.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.70 ₸317

27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.70 ₸314

18.57%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.49 ₸1,121

76.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.24 ₸3,265

2.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.30 ₸585

-10.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.16 ₸975

-12.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.35 ₸158

162.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.48 ₸666

12.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.17 ₸527

-27.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.69 ₸312

152.17%

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

$25.6K ₸11.5M

-2.24%

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

$158 BGN 275

$67.3 ₸30.3K

134.67%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$11.12 ₸5,011

91.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$26.45 ₸11.9K

-42.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$31.49 ₸14.2K

48.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$11.08 ₸4,994

151.08%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.36 ₸1,967

129.36%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$135 ₸60.8K

504.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$4,382 ₸2.0M

234.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$25.88 ₸11.7K

47.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$75.0 ₸33.8K

40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$101 ₸45.4K

6.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$280 ₸126.2K

174.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$219 ₸98.8K

170.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$563 ₸253.9K

171.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$447 ₸201.7K

137.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,080 ₸486.9K

319.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$890 ₸401.2K

249.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$702 ₸316.6K

153.46%

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 Pavlodar: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Pavlodar

$219 30% 63% $374

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Pavlodar

$154 * 21.1% 46.4% $134

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Pavlodar

$113 15.5% 55.4% $140

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Pavlodar

$105 14.3% 46% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Pavlodar

$91 * 12.4% 40.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Pavlodar

$40 5.5% 39.9% $27

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Pavlodar

$8.7 * 1.2% 76.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $280 in Pavlodar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $22 in Pavlodar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $154 per month, with Pavlodar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Pavlodar

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

16:10 4:10 PM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

334,830

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD

1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 451 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.22 USD). 1 EUR = 506 KZT (1,000 KZT = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Pavlodar 4,070 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Pavlodar

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 Pavlodar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $731 in Pavlodar, so Pavlodar is about 54% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 2.5 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 $280 in Pavlodar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 87% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $731 in Pavlodar – Pavlodar is about 54% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $731 in Pavlodar versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Pavlodar but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Pavlodar 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.

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