Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Stary Oskol

For one person, living is cheaper in Stary Oskol: $1,114 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,700 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 Stary Oskol
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Stary Oskol Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Stary Oskol

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Stary Oskol

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,114 in Stary Oskol, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Stary Oskol $1,114

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,746 in Stary Oskol, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Stary Oskol $1,746

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,378 in Stary Oskol, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Stary Oskol $2,378

Sofia costs about 42% more than Stary Oskol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Stary Oskol is 18% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$11.33 ₽924

46.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$36.90 ₽3,010

83.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.09 ₽497

91.79%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.12 ₽254

9.29%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.34 ₽109

76.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.55 ₽45.13

203.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.07 ₽169

92.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.98 ₽243

52.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.20 ₽98.1

61.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.87 ₽70.6

78.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.21 ₽98.6

94.21%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.43 ₽117

221.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.07 ₽903

3.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.97 ₽406

74.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$9.87 ₽805

75.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.87 ₽152

14.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.91 ₽156

3.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.60 ₽130

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.94 ₽240

45.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.89 ₽72.9

16.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.63 ₽51.6

41.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.23 ₽100

-3.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.66 ₽53.6

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.37 ₽275

30.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.85 ₽804

-24.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.31 ₽107

-11.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.86 ₽151

2.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.61 ₽49.74

50.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$24.02 ₽1,959

17.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.39 ₽195

-30.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.36 ₽29.08

136.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.73 ₽549

146.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.75 ₽60.9

132.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$57.7K ₽4.7M

-48.08%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$38.3K ₽3.1M

-34.74%

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

$158 BGN 275

$144 ₽11.7K

9.98%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.37 ₽601

188.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$7.97 ₽650

89.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$33.20 ₽2,708

41.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$23.59 ₽1,924

17.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.09 ₽497

64.20%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$349 ₽28.5K

133.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$6,075 ₽495.4K

141.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$78.8 ₽6,423

10.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$60.9 ₽4,966

-37.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$151 ₽12.3K

-30.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$119 ₽9,727

-10.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$531 ₽43.3K

44.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$317 ₽25.8K

87.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$854 ₽69.7K

79.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$615 ₽50.2K

72.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,526 ₽206.1K

79.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,538 ₽125.4K

102.16%

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 Stary Oskol: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Stary Oskol

$317 28.4% 46.6% $276

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Stary Oskol

$208 18.6% 27.9% $80

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Stary Oskol

$170 15.3% 32.9% $83

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Stary Oskol

$159 14.3% 18.2% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Stary Oskol

$185 16.6% 21.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Stary Oskol

$45 4.1% 32.1% $21

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Stary Oskol

$31 2.8% 18.8% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $531 in Stary Oskol. 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 $37 in Stary Oskol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $208 – making Stary Oskol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Stary Oskol

🕒 Local time

08:21 8:21 AM

09:21 9:21 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

223,921

💱 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 = 91.56 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Stary Oskol 1,450 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Stary Oskol

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 Stary Oskol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,114 in Stary Oskol – Stary Oskol comes out roughly 30% 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 $1,671 in Stary Oskol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stary Oskol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $531 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,114 in Stary Oskol. That makes Stary Oskol about 30% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Stary Oskol. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Stary Oskol, where all-in costs run around $1,114, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Stary Oskol it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

For expats, Stary Oskol is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 30% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.