Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Yekaterinburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Yekaterinburg: $1,351 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
Learn more

Yekaterinburg Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Yekaterinburg

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,351 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Yekaterinburg $1,351

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $2,221 in Yekaterinburg, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Yekaterinburg $2,221

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

Sofia $3,387
Yekaterinburg $3,091

Sofia costs about 17% more than Yekaterinburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$14.38 ₽1,178

15.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$56.3 ₽4,615

20.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.26 ₽595

60.88%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$2.32 ₽190

46.98%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.17 ₽96.2

101.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.48 ₽39.19

247.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$2.21 ₽181

80.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$3.05 ₽250

48.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.22 ₽99.9

59.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.70 ₽57.4

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.29 ₽105

82.17%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.67 ₽137

175.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$11.41 ₽934

0.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.49 ₽449

57.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$13.56 ₽1,110

27.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$2.03 ₽166

5.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.75 ₽143

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.56 ₽127

17.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$2.84 ₽233

50.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.64 ₽52.6

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.61 ₽50.2

45.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.54 ₽126

-22.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.88 ₽72.5

-5.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.58 ₽293

22.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$7.37 ₽604

0.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.48 ₽122

-21.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.63 ₽216

-27.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.50 ₽40.87

84.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$18.74 ₽1,536

50.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$4.27 ₽350

-60.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.18 ₽14.70

372.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$4.51 ₽370

267.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.83 ₽67.9

109.64%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$52.5K ₽4.3M

-42.99%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$38.3K ₽3.1M

-34.64%

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

$158 BGN 275

$124 ₽10.2K

27.29%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.30 ₽516

237.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$12.26 ₽1,004

23.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$43.92 ₽3,598

6.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$36.27 ₽2,972

-23.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$7.28 ₽596

37.36%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$353 ₽29.0K

130.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$3,843 ₽314.8K

281.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$120 ₽9,857

-27.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$91.7 ₽7,514

-58.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$166 ₽13.6K

-36.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$153 ₽12.6K

-30.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$802 ₽65.7K

-4.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$474 ₽38.8K

25.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$1,346 ₽110.2K

13.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$1,018 ₽83.4K

4.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$2,747 ₽225.1K

64.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$2,139 ₽175.3K

45.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$945 ₽77.4K

88.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

22.22

-86.99%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Yekaterinburg: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Yekaterinburg

$474 35.1% 20.1% $119

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Yekaterinburg

$222 16.4% 22.9% $66

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Yekaterinburg

$188 14% 25.7% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Yekaterinburg

$143 10.6% 26.6% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Yekaterinburg

$239 17.7% 57.3% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.3% 12.5% $8.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Yekaterinburg

$26 1.9% 31.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $802 in Yekaterinburg. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 88% higher in Sofia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $56 in Yekaterinburg. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $222 – making Yekaterinburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

3 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

1,495,066

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.514 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.94 BGN (1 BGN = 0.514 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.55 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sofia Yekaterinburg 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Yekaterinburg

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 Yekaterinburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,351 in Yekaterinburg – Yekaterinburg comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,378 per month in Sofia and $2,026 in Yekaterinburg. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $769 in Sofia and $802 in Yekaterinburg. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $1,351 in Yekaterinburg. That makes Yekaterinburg about 15% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 33% less in Yekaterinburg. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Yekaterinburg, where all-in costs run around $1,351, than in Sofia at $1,585. In Yekaterinburg it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Yekaterinburg costs $1,351 versus $1,585 in Sofia. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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