Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Trabzon

For one person, living is cheaper in Trabzon: $672 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $11,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Trabzon
Learn more

Trabzon Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Trabzon

🇹🇷 Turkey

$672

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Trabzon

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $672 in Trabzon, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Trabzon $672

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,246 in Trabzon, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Trabzon $1,246

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $1,819 in Trabzon, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Trabzon $1,819

Sofia costs about 136% more than Trabzon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Trabzon is 50% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$7.82 ₺392

111.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$30.05 ₺1,504

125.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$10.32 ₺517

13.18%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.97 ₺199

-14.11%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.59 ₺79.7

48.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.23 ₺11.48

626.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$1.82 ₺91.0

119.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.97 ₺98.6

129.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.96 ₺47.85

102.08%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.21 ₺60.8

28.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.42 ₺121

-2.89%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.43 ₺122

89.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$8.29 ₺415

38.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$2.72 ₺136

218.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$17.02 ₺852

1.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.05 ₺103

4.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.57 ₺78.7

26.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$0.83 ₺41.33

120.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.03 ₺51.4

314.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.45 ₺22.57

131.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.36 ₺18.19

147.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.79 ₺39.36

50.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.62 ₺31.27

33.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.16 ₺108

103.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$9.11 ₺456

-18.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.59 ₺79.4

-27.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.29 ₺114

-17.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.97 ₺98.4

-15.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.62 ₺31.26

37.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$6.25 ₺313

165.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.32 ₺66.0

31.82%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-24.81%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-39.23%

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

$158 BGN 275

$87.3 ₺4,369

80.82%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$12.39 ₺620

71.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.10 ₺606

24.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$50.3 ₺2,517

-6.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$4.91 ₺246

103.67%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$255 ₺12.7K

220.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$81.3 ₺4,068

7.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$61.0 ₺3,052

-37.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$89.8 ₺4,495

17.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$59.7 ₺2,986

79.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$444 ₺22.2K

244.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$334 ₺16.7K

217.15%

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

$1,197 ₺59.9K

48.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

-94.10%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Trabzon: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Trabzon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Trabzon

$202 30.1% 29.7% $85

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Trabzon

$162 24% 36.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Trabzon

$112 16.6% 42.4% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Trabzon

$131 19.5% 13.7% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Trabzon

$60 8.9% 10.1% $6.7

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Trabzon

$5.1 * 0.8% 86.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 49% higher in Sofia, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $30 in Trabzon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $202 – making Trabzon the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Trabzon

🕒 Local time

20:20 8:20 PM

21:20 9:20 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

816,684

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Trabzon 1,370 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Trabzon

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 Trabzon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $672 in Trabzon – Trabzon comes out roughly 58% 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 $1,008 in Trabzon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $30 in Trabzon. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 42% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Trabzon, where all-in costs run around $672, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Trabzon it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $672 in Trabzon to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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