Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Russia

For one person, living is cheaper in Russia: $1,267 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Sofia, Bulgaria
Russia
Sofia
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$1,585
/mo nomad
🇷🇺 Russia
$1,267
/mo nomad
😐 Solo nomad: Sofia is 18.6% more expensive than Russia without rent, and 25.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Sofia is 23% more expensive than Russia without rent, and 27.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.57 BGN 28.84
$12.23 ₽997
35.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$67.7 BGN 118
$42.36 ₽3,455
59.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.68 BGN 20.33
$6.68 ₽545
74.85%
Cappuccino
$3.41 BGN 5.93
$3.23 ₽264
5.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36 BGN 4.11
$1.32 ₽108
78.79%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 BGN 2.91
$0.63 ₽51.2
165.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.99 BGN 6.94
$2.50 ₽204
59.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.53 BGN 7.88
$3.12 ₽254
45.19%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$1.24 ₽102
56.45%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 BGN 2.70
$0.85 ₽69.1
82.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.35 BGN 4.09
$1.51 ₽123
55.63%
Eggs
$4.60 BGN 8.00
$1.66 ₽135
177.11%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.47 BGN 19.96
$11.80 ₽963
-2.80%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.65 BGN 15.04
$5.81 ₽474
48.88%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.34 BGN 30.17
$12.01 ₽979
44.38%
Apples (1kg)
$2.15 BGN 3.73
$1.90 ₽155
13.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.98 BGN 3.45
$1.90 ₽155
4.21%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.83 BGN 3.18
$1.80 ₽147
1.67%
Tomato (1kg)
$4.27 BGN 7.43
$3.21 ₽262
33.02%
Potato (1kg)
$1.04 BGN 1.82
$0.76 ₽62.0
36.84%
Onion (1kg)
$0.89 BGN 1.54
$0.67 ₽54.7
32.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.19 BGN 2.06
$1.44 ₽118
-17.36%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.45
$0.76 ₽61.7
9.21%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.40 BGN 7.66
$3.15 ₽257
39.68%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.42 BGN 12.91
$8.43 ₽688
-11.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 BGN 2.01
$1.11 ₽90.6
4.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.90 BGN 3.30
$2.20 ₽180
-13.64%
🚌 Getting Around
Sofia
Russia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.92 BGN 1.60
$0.55 ₽45.05
67.27%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.11 BGN 48.91
$36.47 ₽2,975
-22.92%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.67 BGN 2.90
$2.42 ₽197
-30.99%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.85 BGN 1.49
$0.51 ₽41.62
66.67%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$16.59 BGN 28.87
$6.57 ₽536
152.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.74 BGN 3.03
$0.87 ₽71.0
100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$29.9K BGN 52.1K
$54.3K ₽4.4M
-44.91%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$25.0K BGN 43.5K
$41.5K ₽3.4M
-39.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$158 BGN 275
$145 ₽11.8K
8.70%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$21.27 BGN 37.01
$7.40 ₽603
187.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.12 BGN 26.30
$9.07 ₽740
66.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$46.85 BGN 81.5
$39.01 ₽3,182
20.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$27.82 BGN 48.41
$32.61 ₽2,659
-14.69%
Cinema Ticket
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$7.59 ₽619
31.75%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$815 BGN 1,419
$468 ₽38.2K
74.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.6K BGN 25.5K
$19.5K ₽1.6M
-24.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$87.1 BGN 152
$88.1 ₽7,184
-1.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.28 BGN 66.6
$54.4 ₽4,433
-29.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 BGN 184
$135 ₽11.0K
-21.60%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$107 BGN 187
$129 ₽10.5K
-16.62%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sofia
Russia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$769 BGN 1,338
$631 ₽51.4K
21.89%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$593 BGN 1,032
$418 ₽34.1K
41.84%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,530 BGN 2,662
$1,129 ₽92.1K
35.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,061 BGN 1,846
$752 ₽61.4K
40.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,526 BGN 7,875
$3,164 ₽258.0K
43.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,109 BGN 5,410
$2,177 ₽177.6K
42.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sofia
Russia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,780 BGN 3,098
$950 ₽77.5K
87.34%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.89
21.26
-86.41%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Russia: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Sofia
$593
Russia
$418 29.5% $175
Groceries & Markets
Sofia
$288
Russia
$224 22.3% $64
Eating Out
Sofia
$254
Russia
$183 27.8% $70
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sofia
$194
Russia
$162 16.8% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Sofia
$152
Russia
$183 20% $30
Sport & Entertainment
Sofia
$67
Russia
$54 18.9% $13
Getting Around
Sofia
$38
Russia
$44 15.7% $5.9
Good to know
🇧🇬 Sofia
🇷🇺 Russia
🕒 Local time
10:17 10:17 AM
11:17 11:17 AM
1 h ahead of Sofia
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,286,383 Capital
145,975,300
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.6 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sofia Russia 1,780 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Sofia
  • Russia

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

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