Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sivas

For one person, living is cheaper in Sivas: $958 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 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
46

Cost of Living Index in Sivas
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Sivas Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Sivas

🇹🇷 Turkey

$958

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sivas

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $958 in Sivas, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Sivas $958

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,430 in Sivas, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Sivas $1,430

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,902 in Sivas, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Sivas $1,902

Sofia costs about 65% more than Sivas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Sivas is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.91 ₺496

67.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$59.9 ₺3,000

12.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.38 ₺519

12.52%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$4.07 ₺204

-16.22%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.82 ₺40.89

187.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.31 ₺15.64

438.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.82 ₺91.1

119.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.04 ₺102

122.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.89 ₺44.68

117.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.78 ₺39.00

98.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.43 ₺121

-3.29%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.46 ₺123

86.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.16 ₺408

40.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$2.72 ₺136

218.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$19.26 ₺964

-9.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.05 ₺103

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.57 ₺78.8

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.84 ₺41.80

117.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.03 ₺51.8

314.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.42 ₺20.93

147.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.27 ₺13.33

229.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.74 ₺37.22

60.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.63 ₺31.51

31.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.06 ₺103

113.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.96 ₺449

-17.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.58 ₺78.9

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.21 ₺111

-14.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.52 ₺26.03

76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$15.10 ₺756

86.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.05 ₺102

-18.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.62 ₺31.10

37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.32 ₺316

162.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.34 ₺67.0

29.85%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-24.77%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.4K ₺2.0M

-38.03%

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

$158 BGN 275

$87.7 ₺4,389

80.00%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$12.27 ₺614

73.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.27 ₺614

23.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$29.88 ₺1,496

56.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$3.94 ₺197

153.81%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$255 ₺12.8K

219.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$29.87 ₺1,495

191.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$60.4 ₺3,022

-36.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$81.1 ₺4,056

30.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$60.5 ₺3,026

77.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$448 ₺22.4K

71.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$302 ₺15.1K

96.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$491 ₺24.6K

211.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$295 ₺14.8K

259.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$866 ₺43.3K

105.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-91.97%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sivas: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Sivas

$302 31.5% 49.1% $291

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Sivas

$203 21.2% 29.5% $85

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Sivas

$177 18.5% 30.2% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Sivas

$112 11.7% 42.2% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Sivas

$104 10.9% 31.5% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Sivas

$38 3.9% 43.5% $29

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sivas

$22 2.3% 40.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $448 in Sivas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $60 in Sivas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $203 – making Sivas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Sivas

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

621,224

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.23 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Sivas 1,190 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sivas

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 Sivas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 65%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,438 in Sivas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sivas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $448 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $958 in Sivas. That makes Sivas about 40% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 46% less in Sivas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Sivas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.