Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Tula

For one person, living is cheaper in Tula: $918 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
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Sofia Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Tula

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $918 in Tula, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Tula $918

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,505 in Tula, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Tula $1,505

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,091 in Tula, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Tula $2,091

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$12.13 ₽990

36.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$60.6 ₽4,947

11.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.23 ₽590

61.55%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.73 ₽305

-8.58%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.65 ₽135

43.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.89 ₽72.9

87.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$4.83 ₽394

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.98 ₽406

-9.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.25 ₽102

55.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.00 ₽81.4

55.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.70 ₽139

38.24%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.87 ₽153

145.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$14.53 ₽1,186

-21.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$6.66 ₽544

29.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$12.08 ₽987

43.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.17 ₽177

-0.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.85 ₽151

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.90 ₽155

-3.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.78 ₽309

12.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.96 ₽78.4

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.70 ₽57.1

27.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.64 ₽134

-27.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.91 ₽74.0

-8.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.50 ₽286

25.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.30 ₽1,004

-39.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.19 ₽96.9

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.55 ₽208

-25.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.54 ₽43.78

70.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$21.93 ₽1,791

28.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.89 ₽154

-11.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.71 ₽58.0

19.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$11.20 ₽914

48.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.86 ₽70.6

102.33%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$43.1K ₽3.5M

-30.48%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.8K ₽3.2M

-37.13%

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

$158 BGN 275

$164 ₽13.4K

-3.88%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$8.89 ₽726

139.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$9.78 ₽799

54.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$9.17 ₽749

9.05%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$862 ₽70.4K

-5.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$29.7K ₽2.4M

-50.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$106 ₽8,643

-17.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$66.6 ₽5,434

-42.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$143 ₽11.7K

-26.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$181 ₽14.8K

-40.93%

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

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

19.36

-85.07%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Tula: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Tula

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Tula

$256 27.9% 11.1% $32

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Tula

$208 22.6% 18.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Tula

$183 19.9% 5.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Tula

$223 24.4% 46.9% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Tula

$18 * 2% 72.6% $48

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Tula

$30 3.2% 21.7% $8.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $61 in Tula. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $256 – making Tula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Tula

🕒 Local time

20:09 8:09 PM

21:09 9:09 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

475,161

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

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

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.76 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Tula 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Tula

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 Tula: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $918 in Tula – Tula comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $1,377 in Tula. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $918 in Tula. That makes Tula about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Tula. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,585 in Sofia and $918 in Tula. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Tula 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.