Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Yoshkar-Ola

For one person, living is cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola: $997 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Yoshkar-Ola
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Yoshkar-Ola Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Yoshkar-Ola

🇷🇺 Russia

$997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $997 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Yoshkar-Ola $997

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,622 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Yoshkar-Ola $1,622

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,247 in Yoshkar-Ola, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Yoshkar-Ola $2,247

Sofia costs about 59% more than Yoshkar-Ola, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Yoshkar-Ola is 26% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$6.20 ₽508

167.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$56.1 ₽4,592

20.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$4.97 ₽407

135.01%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$1.69 ₽138

101.78%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$0.82 ₽67.0

187.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.27 ₽21.96

518.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$0.89 ₽72.7

348.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$1.69 ₽138

168.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.78 ₽63.8

148.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.77 ₽63.2

101.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.36 ₽112

72.79%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$1.56 ₽128

194.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$12.17 ₽997

-5.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$4.99 ₽409

73.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$13.54 ₽1,110

28.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.76 ₽144

22.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.68 ₽138

17.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.75 ₽144

4.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$3.57 ₽293

19.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.73 ₽60.1

42.47%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.64 ₽52.6

39.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$1.36 ₽112

-12.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.72 ₽59.1

15.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$3.25 ₽266

35.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$8.79 ₽720

-15.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.12 ₽91.9

3.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.52 ₽206

-24.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.52 ₽42.70

76.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

$25.37 ₽2,078

10.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.39 ₽114

20.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.45 ₽36.96

88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$7.31 ₽599

126.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$0.85 ₽69.3

104.71%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$53.3K ₽4.4M

-43.83%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$39.4K ₽3.2M

-36.58%

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

$158 BGN 275

$94.2 ₽7,713

67.67%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$6.98 ₽572

204.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$8.88 ₽727

70.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$41.87 ₽3,430

11.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$26.38 ₽2,161

5.46%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$7.35 ₽602

36.05%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$316 ₽25.9K

158.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$7,103 ₽581.9K

106.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$76.5 ₽6,265

13.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$55.6 ₽4,557

-31.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$136 ₽11.2K

-22.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$85.7 ₽7,021

25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$491 ₽40.2K

56.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$325 ₽26.6K

82.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$911 ₽74.6K

67.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$589 ₽48.3K

79.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,994 ₽163.3K

126.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

$1,466 ₽120.1K

112.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

20.88

-86.16%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Yoshkar-Ola: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$325 32.5% 45.3% $268

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Yoshkar-Ola

$219 22% 23.9% $69

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Yoshkar-Ola

$97 9.7% 61.8% $157

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Yoshkar-Ola

$110 11% 43.4% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Yoshkar-Ola

$159 16% 4.7% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Yoshkar-Ola

$57 5.7% 15.4% $10

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Yoshkar-Ola

$31 3.1% 17.6% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $491 in Yoshkar-Ola. 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 $56 in Yoshkar-Ola. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $219 – making Yoshkar-Ola the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇷🇺 Yoshkar-Ola

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

20:37 8:37 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

276,155

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 92.01 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Yoshkar-Ola 2,330 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Yoshkar-Ola

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 Yoshkar-Ola: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $997 in Yoshkar-Ola – Yoshkar-Ola comes out roughly 37% 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 $1,496 in Yoshkar-Ola. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Yoshkar-Ola, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $491 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,585 in Sofia and $997 in Yoshkar-Ola. That makes Yoshkar-Ola about 37% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Yoshkar-Ola. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Yoshkar-Ola is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 37% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.