Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Turgi

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $3,455 in Turgi, rent and utilities included – about $22,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
170

Cost of Living Index in Turgi
Learn more

Turgi Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Turgi

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,455

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Turgi

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

A single person spends $1,600 per month in Sofia vs $3,455 in Turgi, rent included.

Sofia $1,600
Turgi $3,455

A couple spends around $2,490 per month in Sofia vs $5,240 in Turgi, rent included.

Sofia $2,490
Turgi $5,240

A family of three spends $3,380 per month in Sofia vs $7,024 in Turgi, rent included.

Sofia $3,380
Turgi $7,024

Sofia is about 54% cheaper than Turgi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Turgi sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Turgi by 155%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.96 BGN 29.51

$30.61 CHF 25.21

-44.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.3 BGN 119

$125 CHF 103

-45.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.62 BGN 20.21

$17.85 CHF 14.70

-34.90%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$6.52 CHF 5.37

-47.39%

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

$2.34 BGN 4.08

$6.44 CHF 5.31

-63.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$6.09 CHF 5.02

-69.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$9.10 CHF 7.50

-62.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.44 BGN 7.73

$9.47 CHF 7.80

-53.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-13.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$3.14 CHF 2.59

-52.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.32 CHF 2.74

-29.82%

Eggs

$4.41 BGN 7.68

$8.17 CHF 6.73

-46.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.54 BGN 20.08

$26.28 CHF 21.64

-56.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.88 BGN 15.44

$27.31 CHF 22.49

-67.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.51 BGN 30.46

$41.00 CHF 33.77

-57.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.70 CHF 3.05

-41.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.32 CHF 1.91

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$3.02 CHF 2.48

-36.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.25 BGN 7.39

$4.64 CHF 3.82

-8.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.69 CHF 1.39

-39.05%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 BGN 1.54

$1.92 CHF 1.58

-54.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.07

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-44.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.56 CHF 1.29

-42.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.23 BGN 7.35

$11.40 CHF 9.39

-62.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 BGN 13.69

$11.90 CHF 9.80

-33.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

$2.46 CHF 2.02

-52.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 BGN 3.29

$3.09 CHF 2.54

-38.83%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 BGN 1.62

$4.63 CHF 3.82

-79.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.30 BGN 49.24

$101 CHF 83.5

-72.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$7.84 CHF 6.46

-78.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.96 BGN 1.68

$4.58 CHF 3.77

-79.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.36 BGN 26.73

$84.5 CHF 69.6

-81.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 BGN 3.09

$2.40 CHF 1.97

-26.25%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

-22.62%

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

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

$39.7K CHF 32.7K

-36.77%

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

$157 BGN 273

$295 CHF 243

-46.84%

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

$21.12 BGN 36.74

$46.28 CHF 38.12

-54.36%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.32 BGN 26.65

$63.1 CHF 52.0

-75.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.39 BGN 80.7

$78.2 CHF 64.4

-40.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.09 BGN 48.87

$39.11 CHF 32.21

-28.18%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 BGN 17.46

$22.57 CHF 18.59

-55.52%

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

$775 BGN 1,348

$2,948 CHF 2,428

-73.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

$33.1K CHF 27.2K

-62.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.1 BGN 153

$144 CHF 119

-38.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.39 BGN 72.0

$78.8 CHF 64.9

-47.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 BGN 186

$163 CHF 134

-34.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 BGN 185

$201 CHF 165

-47.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 BGN 1,340

$1,794 CHF 1,478

-57.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$602 BGN 1,048

$1,437 CHF 1,183

-58.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,564 BGN 2,721

$2,754 CHF 2,268

-43.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,036 BGN 1,803

$2,387 CHF 1,966

-56.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,567 BGN 7,946

$14.6K CHF 12.0K

-68.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,162 BGN 5,502

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

-77.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

2.42

19.42%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Turgi: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$602 37.6%

Turgi

$1.4K 41.6% 139% $834

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$291 18.2%

Turgi

$585 16.9% 101% $294

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 15.9%

Turgi

$491 14.2% 93.2% $237

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.1%

Turgi

$405 11.7% 109% $211

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.6%

Turgi

$264 7.6% 71.3% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Turgi

$123 3.6% 85.6% $57

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Turgi

$151 4.4% 291% $112

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Sofia versus $1,794 in Turgi. 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 $68.0 in Sofia versus $125 in Turgi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $291 vs $585 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇨🇭 Turgi

🕒 Local time

01:36 1:36 AM

00:36 12:36 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

3,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Turgi 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Turgi

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 Turgi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,600 in Sofia, $3,455 in Turgi – roughly 116% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,400 per month in Sofia and $5,183 in Turgi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,600 in Sofia and $3,455 in Turgi. That's a gap of about 116%.

Public transport costs about 258% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Turgi at $3,455. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Turgi 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 $1,600 in Sofia to $3,455 in Turgi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Turgi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.