Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Van

For one person, living is cheaper in Van: $956 a month against $1,609 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Van

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $956 in Van, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Van $956

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $1,536 in Van, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Van $1,536

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $2,116 in Van, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Van $2,116

Sofia costs about 68% more than Van, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 18% above the global median, while Van is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.70

$7.48 ₺373

125.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 117

$34.59 ₺1,724

92.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.40

$7.93 ₺395

46.15%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.20

$3.57 ₺178

-1.40%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.25

$1.14 ₺56.6

112.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.11

$0.42 ₺21.18

321.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.48

$3.33 ₺166

10.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.70

$3.10 ₺154

41.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.44

$0.96 ₺47.68

104.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.65

$1.00 ₺49.81

51.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.87

$2.25 ₺112

-2.22%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.75

$1.48 ₺73.9

197.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.70

$8.99 ₺448

30.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.28

$4.07 ₺203

113.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.57

$22.62 ₺1,127

-23.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.75

$1.82 ₺90.9

17.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.61

$1.83 ₺91.1

12.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.40

$1.09 ₺54.4

77.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.34

$1.15 ₺57.4

262.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

$0.52 ₺25.74

107.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.60

$0.35 ₺17.45

160.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.08

$0.74 ₺36.88

59.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.61 ₺30.54

37.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.36

$2.16 ₺108

93.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.51

$10.36 ₺516

-25.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$2.01 ₺100.0

-41.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$2.79 ₺139

-35.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.73 ₺36.60

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.96

$1.30 ₺64.6

29.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.54

$0.76 ₺37.86

14.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.74

$7.21 ₺359

118.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.04

$1.28 ₺64.0

35.16%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

$42.2K ₺2.1M

-29.77%

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

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-34.25%

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

$161 BGN 283

$79.9 ₺3,982

101.34%

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

$21.08 BGN 37.10

$10.46 ₺522

101.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.73

$13.39 ₺667

13.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 85.1

$57.0 ₺2,842

-15.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.88

$6.49 ₺324

56.55%

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

$785 BGN 1,382

$624 ₺31.1K

25.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$11.4K ₺566.2K

12.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 158

$45.86 ₺2,285

95.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.7

$33.35 ₺1,662

23.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 189

$79.7 ₺3,970

34.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 192

$88.8 ₺4,426

23.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,389

$469 ₺23.4K

68.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,063

$278 ₺13.9K

116.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,670

$816 ₺40.7K

85.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,825

$586 ₺29.2K

76.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,756

$1,491 ₺74.3K

195.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,521

$968 ₺48.2K

224.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

41.33

-93.01%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Van

$278 29.1% 53.9% $326

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Van

$229 23.9% 20.6% $59

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Van

$156 16.3% 39.2% $100

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Van

$104 10.9% 47.4% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Van

$111 11.7% 28.8% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Van

$70 7.3% 2% $1.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Van

$8 * 0.8% 79.2% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $469 in Van. 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 $66 in Sofia versus $35 in Van. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $229 – making Van the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Van

🕒 Local time

15:48 3:48 PM

16:48 4:48 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,141,015

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Van 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Van

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 Van: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $956 in Van – roughly 68% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $1,434 in Van. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Van, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $469 there versus $789 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66 in Sofia and $35 in Van. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Sofia, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

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.