Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Shymkent

For one person, living is cheaper in Shymkent: $804 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Shymkent
Learn more

Shymkent Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Shymkent

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Shymkent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,585 in Sofia versus $804 in Shymkent.

Sofia $1,585
Shymkent $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,486 in Sofia versus $1,385 in Shymkent.

Sofia $2,486
Shymkent $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,387 in Sofia versus $1,965 in Shymkent.

Sofia $3,387
Shymkent $1,965

Living in Sofia is roughly 97% more expensive than in Shymkent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sofia is 17% above, Shymkent is 41% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.24 ₸5,040

47.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$33.91 ₸15.2K

99.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.67 ₸2,991

75.11%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.41 ₸1,079

41.49%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.05 ₸469

124.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.50 ₸226

234.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.14 ₸512

250.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.36 ₸612

233.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.44 ₸644

34.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.43 ₸195

260.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.81 ₸810

29.83%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.74 ₸779

164.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.24 ₸4,593

12.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.33 ₸2,389

62.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$8.48 ₸3,802

104.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.15 ₸516

86.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.17 ₸972

-8.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$2.45 ₸1,098

-25.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.41 ₸634

202.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.51 ₸230

103.92%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.41 ₸183

117.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.96 ₸431

23.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.85 ₸380

-2.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.38 ₸1,069

84.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$4.55 ₸2,041

63.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.03 ₸462

12.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.54 ₸690

23.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.14 ₸62.8

557.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$0.91 ₸409

83.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.37 ₸168

129.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$9.99 ₸4,479

66.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.66 ₸295

163.64%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$27.2K ₸12.2M

9.90%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$29.5K ₸13.2M

-15.31%

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

$158 BGN 275

$46.66 ₸20.9K

238.32%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$9.48 ₸4,251

124.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$15.26 ₸6,841

-0.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$39.10 ₸17.5K

19.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$8.81 ₸3,952

215.78%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.61 ₸2,516

78.25%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$57.1 ₸25.6K

1327.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$37.07 ₸16.6K

134.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$33.63 ₸15.1K

13.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$182 ₸81.7K

-42.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$51.9 ₸23.3K

106.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$342 ₸153.2K

125.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$204 ₸91.3K

191.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$692 ₸310.3K

121.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$545 ₸244.5K

94.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,105 ₸495.3K

309.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$978 ₸438.5K

217.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$445 ₸199.5K

300.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

18.25

-84.16%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Shymkent: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Shymkent

$204 25.3% 65.7% $389

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Shymkent

$185 23% 35.7% $103

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Shymkent

$153 19.1% 39.5% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Shymkent

$71 8.9% 63.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Shymkent

$137 17.1% 9.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Shymkent

$50 6.3% 24.7% $17

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Shymkent

$3.3 * 0.4% 91.1% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $769 in Sofia and $342 in Shymkent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sofia pays about 4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $68 in Sofia vs $34 in Shymkent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $185 per month, with Shymkent cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇰🇿 Shymkent

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,222,055

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Kazakhstani Tenge KZT ₸

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD

1,000 KZT = 2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KZT, 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).

Kazakhstani Tenge exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 448 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 501 KZT (1,000 KZT = 2 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Shymkent 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Shymkent

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 Shymkent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $804 in Shymkent, so Shymkent is about 49% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Sofia is about 4 times higher, 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 $342 in Shymkent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $815 in Sofia versus $57 in Shymkent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Shymkent – a meal for two runs $34 versus $68 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $804 in Shymkent versus $1,585 in Sofia, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Shymkent but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Shymkent the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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 Shymkent are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Shymkent wins on affordability, Sofia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.