Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Shakhty

For one person, living is cheaper in Shakhty: $1,093 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Shakhty
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Shakhty Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Shakhty

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Shakhty

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,093 in Shakhty, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Shakhty $1,093

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,759 in Shakhty, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Shakhty $1,759

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,425 in Shakhty, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Shakhty $2,425

Sofia costs about 45% more than Shakhty, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Shakhty is 19% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.00 ₽897

50.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$39.00 ₽3,181

73.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.00 ₽571

66.86%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.70 ₽220

26.30%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.21 ₽98.7

95.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.67 ₽54.5

149.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.95 ₽159

104.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.39 ₽276

33.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.32 ₽108

46.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.70 ₽57.3

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.35 ₽110

74.07%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.58 ₽129

191.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.78 ₽1,042

-10.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.03 ₽492

43.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.11 ₽906

56.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.79 ₽146

20.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.76 ₽143

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.90 ₽155

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.03 ₽247

40.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.74 ₽60.7

40.54%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.67 ₽54.5

32.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.30 ₽106

-8.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.64 ₽52.1

29.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.31 ₽270

32.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.97 ₽650

-6.90%

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

$2.04 ₽166

-6.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.61 ₽49.53

50.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$27.96 ₽2,281

0.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.17 ₽177

-23.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.37 ₽30.17

129.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.53 ₽533

154.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.74 ₽60.5

135.14%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$60.6K ₽4.9M

-50.64%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.8K ₽3.4M

-40.15%

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

$158 BGN 275

$116 ₽9,447

36.30%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.61 ₽539

221.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.09 ₽742

66.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$31.91 ₽2,602

46.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$21.30 ₽1,737

30.61%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.55 ₽452

80.18%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$353 ₽28.8K

130.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,630 ₽459.2K

160.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$100 ₽8,179

-13.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$46.27 ₽3,774

-17.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$154 ₽12.6K

-31.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$107 ₽8,690

0.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$454 ₽37.0K

69.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$317 ₽25.8K

87.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,020 ₽83.2K

50.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$663 ₽54.0K

60.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,215 ₽180.7K

104.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,401 ₽114.3K

121.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

21.33

-86.45%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shakhty: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Shakhty

$317 29% 46.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Shakhty

$218 20% 24.2% $70

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Shakhty

$165 15.1% 34.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Shakhty

$132 12% 32.3% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Shakhty

$183 16.8% 20.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Shakhty

$43 3.9% 35.7% $24

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Shakhty

$34 3.2% 8.8% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $454 in Shakhty. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $39 in Shakhty. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $218 – making Shakhty the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Shakhty

🕒 Local time

10:17 10:17 AM

11:17 11:17 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

235,492

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 RUB = 1.23 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 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 = 1.95 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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Shakhty 1,430 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Shakhty

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 Shakhty: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,093 in Shakhty – Shakhty comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,639 in Shakhty. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shakhty, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $454 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $39 in Shakhty. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,093 in Shakhty, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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