Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Ukhta

For one person, living is cheaper in Ukhta: $1,126 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
54

Cost of Living Index in Ukhta
Learn more

Ukhta Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Ukhta

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,126

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Ukhta

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,126 in Ukhta, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Ukhta $1,126

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,748 in Ukhta, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Ukhta $1,748

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,369 in Ukhta, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Ukhta $2,369

Sofia costs about 41% more than Ukhta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$13.18 ₽1,077

25.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$44.25 ₽3,613

52.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$5.94 ₽485

96.63%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.74 ₽223

24.45%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.15 ₽94.0

105.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.64 ₽52.1

160.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.03 ₽165

96.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.15 ₽257

43.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.06 ₽86.5

83.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.70 ₽57.4

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.33 ₽108

76.69%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.65 ₽135

178.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.72 ₽1,038

-9.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.79 ₽391

80.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$11.82 ₽966

46.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.91 ₽156

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.85 ₽151

7.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.50 ₽122

22.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.91 ₽238

46.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.76 ₽62.3

36.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.54 ₽43.78

64.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.49 ₽122

-20.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.81 ₽66.1

2.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.06 ₽250

43.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.49 ₽693

-12.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.19 ₽97.3

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.25 ₽183

-15.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.49 ₽39.98

87.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$27.76 ₽2,267

1.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.29 ₽187

-27.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.32 ₽26.44

165.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$5.55 ₽453

198.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.85 ₽69.1

104.71%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$49.7K ₽4.1M

-39.80%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.1K ₽3.3M

-37.63%

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

$158 BGN 275

$122 ₽9,974

29.25%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$7.43 ₽607

186.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$7.80 ₽637

93.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$41.43 ₽3,383

13.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$27.09 ₽2,212

2.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.51 ₽450

81.49%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$341 ₽27.9K

138.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$5,586 ₽456.2K

162.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$80.1 ₽6,541

8.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.4 ₽4,522

-30.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$154 ₽12.6K

-31.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$100 ₽8,190

6.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$507 ₽41.4K

51.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$333 ₽27.2K

78.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,019 ₽83.2K

50.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$546 ₽44.5K

94.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,389 ₽195.1K

89.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,505 ₽122.9K

106.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

21.33

-86.45%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ukhta: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Ukhta

$333 29.6% 43.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Ukhta

$215 19.1% 25.4% $73

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Ukhta

$180 16% 29.1% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Ukhta

$137 12.2% 29.3% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Ukhta

$175 15.6% 15.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Ukhta

$52 4.7% 21.5% $14

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Ukhta

$34 3% 10.8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $507 in Ukhta. 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 $44 in Ukhta. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $215 – making Ukhta the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Ukhta

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

20:00 8:00 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

98,293

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Ukhta 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Ukhta

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 Ukhta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,126 in Ukhta – Ukhta comes out roughly 29% 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 $1,690 in Ukhta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ukhta, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $507 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $44 in Ukhta. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ukhta, where all-in costs run around $1,126, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Ukhta it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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