Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Qapshaghay

For one person, living is cheaper in Qapshaghay: $1,086 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 Qapshaghay
Learn more

Qapshaghay Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Qapshaghay

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Qapshaghay

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,086 in Qapshaghay.

Sofia $1,585
Qapshaghay $1,086

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,629 in Qapshaghay.

Sofia $2,486
Qapshaghay $1,629

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,173 in Qapshaghay.

Sofia $3,387
Qapshaghay $2,173

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Qapshaghay is 20% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.06 ₸4,960

49.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$21.89 ₸9,818

209.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.67 ₸2,990

75.11%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.81 ₸811

88.40%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.03 ₸460

129.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.65 ₸293

156.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.36 ₸608

193.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.31 ₸588

245.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.67 ₸749

16.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.48 ₸216

222.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.99 ₸894

18.09%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.44 ₸1,096

88.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.65 ₸5,673

-9.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.78 ₸3,042

27.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$10.93 ₸4,903

58.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.78 ₸797

20.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.30 ₸1,031

-13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$3.00 ₸1,343

-39.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.80 ₸1,254

52.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.78 ₸351

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.58 ₸262

53.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.66 ₸746

-28.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.99 ₸446

-16.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$1.66 ₸746

165.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$10.92 ₸4,895

-32.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.23 ₸551

-5.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.36 ₸1,060

-19.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.18 ₸81.5

411.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$16.96 ₸7,604

65.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.85 ₸380

96.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.66 ₸295

28.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$3.95 ₸1,770

320.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.57 ₸256

205.26%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$28.6K ₸12.8M

4.77%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$31.5K ₸14.1M

-20.59%

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

$158 BGN 275

$89.1 ₸39.9K

77.23%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.97 ₸4,921

93.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$17.61 ₸7,896

-14.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$42.73 ₸19.2K

9.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.83 ₸3,065

46.41%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$147 ₸65.8K

455.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$4,423 ₸2.0M

231.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$91.2 ₸40.9K

-4.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$49.06 ₸22.0K

-21.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$139 ₸62.2K

-23.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$133 ₸59.5K

-19.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$439 ₸196.7K

75.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$311 ₸139.4K

90.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$732 ₸328.4K

108.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$495 ₸221.9K

114.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,061 ₸476.0K

326.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$870 ₸390.1K

257.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.65

-86.00%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Qapshaghay: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Qapshaghay

$311 28.6% 47.6% $282

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Qapshaghay

$247 22.8% 14% $40

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Qapshaghay

$146 13.5% 42.3% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Qapshaghay

$118 10.8% 39.4% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Qapshaghay

$185 17.1% 21.8% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Qapshaghay

$56 5.2% 15.6% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Qapshaghay

$22 2% 42.2% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $439 in Qapshaghay. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $22 in Qapshaghay for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $247 per month, with Qapshaghay cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Qapshaghay

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

42,167

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Qapshaghay 4,270 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Qapshaghay

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 Qapshaghay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Qapshaghay wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Qapshaghay the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,629 in Qapshaghay 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 $439 in Qapshaghay. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $147 in Qapshaghay. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Sofia. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Qapshaghay is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Expats usually find Qapshaghay gentler on the wallet – expenses run 32% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.