Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Stavropol

For one person, living is cheaper in Stavropol: $917 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Stavropol
Learn more

Stavropol Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Stavropol

🇷🇺 Russia

$917

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Stavropol

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $917 in Stavropol, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Stavropol $917

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,423 in Stavropol, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Stavropol $1,423

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,928 in Stavropol, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Stavropol $1,928

Sofia costs about 73% more than Stavropol, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Stavropol is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$10.67 ₽871

55.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$25.47 ₽2,077

165.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.28 ₽513

85.99%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.47 ₽201

38.06%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.00 ₽81.2

136.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.45 ₽36.49

271.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.24 ₽101

221.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.20 ₽179

105.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.18 ₽96.2

64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.89 ₽72.7

74.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.22 ₽99.9

92.62%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.55 ₽126

196.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.31 ₽678

38.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.17 ₽422

67.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$7.82 ₽638

121.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.54 ₽126

39.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.10 ₽172

-5.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.60 ₽130

14.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.55 ₽208

67.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.95 ₽77.7

9.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.65 ₽52.9

36.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.87 ₽71.2

36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.75 ₽61.2

10.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.39 ₽195

84.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$6.18 ₽504

20.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.09 ₽89.0

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.59 ₽129

19.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.64 ₽52.0

43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.33 ₽108

25.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.23 ₽18.81

269.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$2.45 ₽200

577.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.84 ₽68.5

107.14%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$53.2K ₽4.3M

-43.70%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.3K ₽3.3M

-37.88%

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

$158 BGN 275

$110 ₽8,948

43.89%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.91 ₽564

207.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$8.67 ₽707

74.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$32.92 ₽2,685

42.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$6.11 ₽498

63.67%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$368 ₽30.0K

121.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$75.6 ₽6,164

15.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.6 ₽4,535

-31.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$78.2 ₽6,375

35.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$157 ₽12.8K

-31.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$394 ₽32.1K

95.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$243 ₽19.8K

143.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$656 ₽53.5K

133.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$466 ₽38.0K

127.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,668 ₽136.0K

171.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,192 ₽97.2K

160.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$564 ₽46.0K

215.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.83

-85.43%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Stavropol: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Stavropol

$243 26.5% 59% $350

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Stavropol

$183 20% 36.3% $105

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Stavropol

$150 16.4% 40.8% $103

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Stavropol

$125 13.7% 35.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Stavropol

$165 18% 8.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Stavropol

$45 4.9% 32.5% $22

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Stavropol

$5 * 0.6% 86.7% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $394 in Stavropol. 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $25 in Stavropol. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $183 – making Stavropol the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Stavropol

🕒 Local time

06:34 6:34 AM

07:34 7:34 AM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

550,147

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Stavropol 1,510 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Stavropol

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 Stavropol: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $917 in Stavropol – Stavropol comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,375 in Stavropol. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stavropol, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $394 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $25 in Stavropol. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 57% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $917 in Stavropol. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Stavropol – 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 Stavropol. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.