Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Serpukhov

For one person, living is cheaper in Serpukhov: $1,216 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
59

Cost of Living Index in Serpukhov
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Serpukhov Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Serpukhov

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,216

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Serpukhov

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $1,216 in Serpukhov.

Sofia $1,585
Serpukhov $1,216

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,988 in Serpukhov.

Sofia $2,486
Serpukhov $1,988

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $2,760 in Serpukhov.

Sofia $3,387
Serpukhov $2,760

Living in Sofia is roughly 30% more expensive than in Serpukhov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Serpukhov is 10% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.17 ₽993

36.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$62.1 ₽5,061

9.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.34 ₽599

59.13%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.50 ₽204

36.40%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.88 ₽71.5

168.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.65 ₽52.9

156.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.02 ₽83.0

291.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.25 ₽102

262.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.10 ₽89.6

76.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.75 ₽61.5

106.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.68 ₽137

39.88%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$0.86 ₽69.8

434.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.13 ₽1,152

-18.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.64 ₽541

30.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$14.49 ₽1,182

19.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.08 ₽169

3.37%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.89 ₽154

4.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.90 ₽155

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.89 ₽317

9.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.92 ₽74.8

13.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.75 ₽61.5

18.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.64 ₽134

-27.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.90 ₽73.3

-7.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.42 ₽279

28.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$6.11 ₽498

21.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$0.95 ₽77.7

22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.20 ₽98.1

58.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.56 ₽45.49

64.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$23.65 ₽1,929

18.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.48 ₽202

-32.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.35 ₽28.86

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.00 ₽489

176.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.81 ₽66.3

114.81%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$42.3K ₽3.4M

-29.19%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.7K ₽3.2M

-37.04%

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

$158 BGN 275

$183 ₽15.0K

-13.96%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.20 ₽587

195.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.77 ₽797

54.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$37.21 ₽3,035

25.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$24.71 ₽2,015

12.59%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.27 ₽348

134.19%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$355 ₽29.0K

129.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,283 ₽512.4K

133.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$105 ₽8,594

-17.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$68.2 ₽5,564

-43.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$147 ₽12.0K

-28.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$179 ₽14.6K

-40.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$498 ₽40.6K

54.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$314 ₽25.6K

88.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,033 ₽84.3K

48.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$672 ₽54.8K

57.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,271 ₽185.2K

99.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,732 ₽141.3K

79.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.36

-85.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Serpukhov: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Serpukhov

$314 25.8% 47% $279

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Serpukhov

$237 19.5% 17.5% $50

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Serpukhov

$163 13.4% 35.7% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Serpukhov

$200 16.5% 3.2% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Serpukhov

$225 18.5% 47.9% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Serpukhov

$46 3.8% 31.6% $21

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Serpukhov

$30 2.5% 20.1% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $498 in Serpukhov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $62 in Serpukhov for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $237 per month, with Serpukhov cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Serpukhov

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

22:47 10:47 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

124,897

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RUB, 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).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.23 USD). 1 EUR = 91.15 RUB (100 RUB = 1.1 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Serpukhov 1,700 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Serpukhov

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 Serpukhov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Serpukhov wins on cost – living expenses run 23% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Serpukhov the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,378 in Sofia and $1,824 in Serpukhov 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 $498 in Serpukhov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $355 in Serpukhov. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% 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. Serpukhov 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 Serpukhov gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.