Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Sterlitamak

For one person, living is cheaper in Sterlitamak: $1,058 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Sterlitamak
Learn more

Sterlitamak Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Sterlitamak

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,058

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Sterlitamak

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,058 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Sterlitamak $1,058

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,710 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Sterlitamak $1,710

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,362 in Sterlitamak, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Sterlitamak $2,362

Sofia costs about 50% more than Sterlitamak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Sterlitamak is 22% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$9.26 ₽758

78.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$49.04 ₽4,017

38.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$6.64 ₽544

75.90%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.06 ₽251

11.44%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.14 ₽93.3

107.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.38 ₽31.08

339.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.51 ₽205

58.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$2.91 ₽239

55.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.09 ₽89.4

77.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.76 ₽62.1

103.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.44 ₽118

63.19%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.42 ₽116

223.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$13.80 ₽1,131

-16.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.79 ₽393

80.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$7.81 ₽640

122.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$0.83 ₽68.1

159.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.33 ₽109

48.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.37 ₽113

33.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.04 ₽249

40.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.77 ₽63.3

35.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.58 ₽47.14

53.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.72 ₽58.8

65.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.68 ₽56.0

22.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.38 ₽277

30.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$6.93 ₽568

7.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.26 ₽103

-7.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.41 ₽115

34.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.53 ₽43.16

73.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$30.09 ₽2,465

-6.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.25 ₽102

33.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.35 ₽28.87

142.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.62 ₽542

150.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.83 ₽67.7

109.64%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$54.2K ₽4.4M

-44.80%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.9K ₽3.4M

-40.32%

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

$158 BGN 275

$156 ₽12.7K

1.47%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.37 ₽522

233.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$8.30 ₽680

82.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$36.42 ₽2,983

28.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$25.51 ₽2,090

9.06%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.94 ₽487

68.35%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$341 ₽28.0K

138.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,921 ₽485.0K

147.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$55.8 ₽4,571

56.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$58.0 ₽4,753

-34.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$168 ₽13.8K

-37.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$119 ₽9,733

-9.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$473 ₽38.8K

62.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$280 ₽22.9K

111.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$861 ₽70.5K

77.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$598 ₽49.0K

77.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,964 ₽160.9K

130.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,547 ₽126.7K

101.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

22.86

-87.36%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sterlitamak: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Sterlitamak

$280 26.5% 52.8% $313

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Sterlitamak

$189 17.9% 34.3% $99

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Sterlitamak

$155 14.7% 38.8% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Sterlitamak

$170 16.1% 12.4% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Sterlitamak

$180 17% 18.5% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Sterlitamak

$48 4.6% 27.8% $19

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Sterlitamak

$35 3.3% 6.7% $2.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $473 in Sterlitamak. 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 $49 in Sterlitamak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $189 – making Sterlitamak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Sterlitamak

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

00:47 12:47 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

277,410

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 EUR

100 RUB = 1.22 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 = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.55 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Sterlitamak 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Sterlitamak

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 Sterlitamak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,058 in Sterlitamak – Sterlitamak comes out roughly 33% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,587 in Sterlitamak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sterlitamak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $473 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,058 in Sterlitamak. That makes Sterlitamak about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 7% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,058 in Sterlitamak, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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