Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Samsun

For one person, living is cheaper in Samsun: $952 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$952

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Samsun

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $952 in Samsun.

Sofia $1,585
Samsun $952

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,631 in Samsun.

Sofia $2,486
Samsun $1,631

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,310 in Samsun.

Sofia $3,387
Samsun $2,310

Living in Sofia is roughly 67% more expensive than in Samsun, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Samsun is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.08 ₺506

64.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$59.8 ₺2,997

13.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.60 ₺532

10.19%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.03 ₺202

-15.38%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.82 ₺41.01

187.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.29 ₺14.41

475.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.84 ₺92.1

116.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.98 ₺99.5

128.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.12 ₺56.1

73.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.95 ₺97.6

-20.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.70 ₺136

-12.96%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.43 ₺122

89.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.15 ₺409

40.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.52 ₺277

56.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$26.85 ₺1,347

-35.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.38 ₺120

-9.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.41 ₺121

-17.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.44 ₺72.1

27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.07 ₺53.5

299.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.46 ₺22.99

126.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.33 ₺16.71

169.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.82 ₺41.01

45.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.62 ₺31.11

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.07 ₺104

112.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.22 ₺462

-19.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.61 ₺80.6

-27.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.27 ₺114

-16.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.56 ₺28.23

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$11.97 ₺601

134.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.03 ₺102

-17.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.63 ₺31.40

34.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.33 ₺318

162.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.29 ₺64.5

34.88%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-24.87%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.1K ₺2.1M

-39.21%

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

$158 BGN 275

$89.2 ₺4,473

76.99%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$12.53 ₺629

69.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.49 ₺626

21.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$30.78 ₺1,544

52.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$6.08 ₺305

357.57%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$3.97 ₺199

151.89%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$249 ₺12.5K

228.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$24.41 ₺1,224

256.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$30.09 ₺1,509

27.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$70.6 ₺3,538

49.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$59.0 ₺2,960

81.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$344 ₺17.2K

123.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$253 ₺12.7K

134.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$759 ₺38.1K

101.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$592 ₺29.7K

79.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$973 ₺48.8K

364.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$654 ₺32.8K

375.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$1,040 ₺52.1K

71.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-94.10%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Samsun: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Samsun

$253 26.6% 57.3% $340

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Samsun

$265 27.8% 7.9% $23

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Samsun

$178 18.8% 29.6% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Samsun

$114 12% 41.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Samsun

$83 8.7% 45.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 42.1% $28

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Samsun

$19 2% 48.6% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $344 in Samsun. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays 71% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $60 in Samsun for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $265 per month, with Samsun cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

12:29 12:29 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Samsun 1,090 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Samsun is about 40% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, clothing, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 71% higher in Sofia, 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 $344 in Samsun. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Samsun – a meal for two runs $60 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,585 per month in Sofia versus $952 in Samsun – Samsun is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

Safety-wise, Sofia and Samsun are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Samsun gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.