Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Rajshahi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rajshahi: $319 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Rajshahi
Learn more

Rajshahi Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Rajshahi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$319

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Rajshahi

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $319 in Rajshahi, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Rajshahi $319

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $502 in Rajshahi, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Rajshahi $502

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $686 in Rajshahi, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Rajshahi $686

Sofia costs about 400% more than Rajshahi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Rajshahi is 76% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$0.84 ৳103

1908.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$7.99 ৳983

723.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$2.81 ৳346

302.85%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.95 ৳486

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 ৳274

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$1.37 ৳168

150.36%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$0.33 ৳40.85

630.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$0.16 ৳19.09

1056.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$0.69 ৳84.5

192.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$0.64 ৳78.4

143.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$0.63 ৳77.9

269.84%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$1.14 ৳140

282.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$8.84 ৳1,088

33.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$3.18 ৳392

177.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$6.58 ৳810

165.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$2.59 ৳319

-16.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$0.95 ৳117

108.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.34 ৳288

-17.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$0.48 ৳58.8

783.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$0.24 ৳29.26

333.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.46 ৳56.9

84.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$0.32 ৳38.86

259.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.30 ৳37.30

196.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.27 ৳1,510

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 ৳197

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 ৳255

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$3.32 ৳409

26.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.07 ৳8.45

1142.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$12.24 ৳1,507

133.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.19 ৳146

41.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$0.31 ৳37.71

203.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$0.95 ৳117

1515.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.14 ৳141

48.25%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$29.9K ৳3.7M

-0.23%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$32.5K ৳4.0M

-19.67%

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

$156 BGN 273

$44.85 ৳5,521

248.00%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$4.12 ৳507

423.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$10.36 ৳1,276

47.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$5.93 ৳730

677.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$4.13 ৳509

146.49%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$13.45 ৳1,656

5655.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$688 ৳84.7K

1760.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$7.11 ৳875

1164.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$14.66 ৳1,805

181.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$25.27 ৳3,111

316.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$21.41 ৳2,636

398.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$74.5 ৳9,165

951.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$46.35 ৳5,706

1187.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$133 ৳16.3K

1042.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$96.0 ৳11.8K

973.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$495 ৳60.9K

778.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,284 ৳281.2K

39.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$219 ৳27.0K

692.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

10.48

-72.42%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Rajshahi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Rajshahi

$46 14.5% 92.2% $550

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Rajshahi

$119 37.5% 58.9% $171

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Rajshahi

$33 10.5% 86.9% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Rajshahi

$59 18.6% 69.2% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Rajshahi

$31 9.7% 80% $124

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Rajshahi

$14 4.5% 78.6% $52

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Rajshahi

$15 4.8% 60.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $74.5 in Rajshahi. 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 692% 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $8.00 in Rajshahi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $119 – making Rajshahi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇧🇩 Rajshahi

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

10:15 10:15 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

451,425

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 123 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.12 USD). 1 EUR = 138 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.26 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Rajshahi 6,220 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Rajshahi

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 Rajshahi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 400%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $478 in Rajshahi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 143% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $8.00 in Rajshahi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Rajshahi, where all-in costs run around $319, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Rajshahi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Rajshahi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Rajshahi. 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.