Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Zonguldak

For one person, living is cheaper in Zonguldak: $1,069 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Zonguldak
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Zonguldak Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Zonguldak

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,069

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Zonguldak

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

A single person spends $1,585 per month in Sofia vs $1,069 in Zonguldak, rent included.

Sofia $1,585
Zonguldak $1,069

A couple spends around $2,486 per month in Sofia vs $1,578 in Zonguldak, rent included.

Sofia $2,486
Zonguldak $1,578

A family of three spends $3,387 per month in Sofia vs $2,088 in Zonguldak, rent included.

Sofia $3,387
Zonguldak $2,088

Sofia costs about 48% more than Zonguldak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sofia sits 17% above the global median, while Zonguldak is 21% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.57 BGN 28.84

$8.07 ₺405

105.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.7 BGN 118

$22.26 ₺1,116

204.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.68 BGN 20.33

$7.19 ₺361

62.45%

Cappuccino

$3.41 BGN 5.93

$3.57 ₺179

-4.48%

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

$2.36 BGN 4.11

$1.42 ₺71.2

66.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.38 ₺19.23

339.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.99 BGN 6.94

$4.18 ₺209

-4.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.88

$4.10 ₺206

10.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.91 ₺45.50

113.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$1.02 ₺51.2

51.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.24 ₺112

4.91%

Eggs

$4.60 BGN 8.00

$2.68 ₺135

71.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.47 BGN 19.96

$10.15 ₺509

13.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.65 BGN 15.04

$5.31 ₺266

62.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 BGN 30.17

$20.18 ₺1,012

-14.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.73

$1.91 ₺95.9

12.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.20 ₺110

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.25 ₺62.8

46.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.27 BGN 7.43

$1.70 ₺85.1

151.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.63 ₺31.45

65.08%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.55 ₺27.47

61.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 BGN 2.06

$0.99 ₺49.87

20.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$0.66 ₺33.18

25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.40 BGN 7.66

$2.03 ₺102

116.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 BGN 12.91

$12.61 ₺632

-41.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.94 ₺97.4

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$2.01 ₺101

-5.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$1.98 ₺99.4

-53.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.32 ₺66.1

26.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$0.78 ₺39.37

8.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.59 BGN 28.87

$8.17 ₺410

103.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.34 ₺67.0

29.85%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$47.2K ₺2.4M

-36.57%

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

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-37.88%

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

$158 BGN 275

$65.8 ₺3,298

140.02%

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

$21.27 BGN 37.01

$10.85 ₺544

96.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.12 BGN 26.30

$18.11 ₺908

-16.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

$44.30 ₺2,222

5.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

$49.15 ₺2,465

-43.40%

Cinema Ticket

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$5.57 ₺279

79.53%

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

$815 BGN 1,419

$1,107 ₺55.5K

-26.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

$20.1K ₺1.0M

-26.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 BGN 152

$52.0 ₺2,607

67.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.28 BGN 66.6

$47.39 ₺2,377

-19.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 BGN 184

$103 ₺5,170

2.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$97.8 ₺4,903

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

$418 ₺21.0K

83.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

$358 ₺18.0K

65.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

$438 ₺22.0K

249.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

$484 ₺24.3K

119.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

$1,131 ₺56.7K

300.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

$834 ₺41.8K

113.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

43.85

-93.41%

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

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Zonguldak: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$593 37.4%

Zonguldak

$358 33.5% 39.6% $235

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 18.2%

Zonguldak

$247 23.1% 14.3% $41

Eating Out

Sofia

$254 16%

Zonguldak

$165 15.5% 34.8% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$194 12.3%

Zonguldak

$95 8.9% 51.2% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$152 9.6%

Zonguldak

$135 12.6% 11.2% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$67 4.2%

Zonguldak

$55 5.2% 17.1% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Zonguldak

$13 * 1.2% 65.1% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $769 in Sofia versus $418 in Zonguldak. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Sofia are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia versus $22 in Zonguldak. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $247 – making Zonguldak the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇹🇷 Zonguldak

🕒 Local time

13:10 1:10 PM

14:10 2:10 PM

1 h ahead of Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

120,395

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Zonguldak 710 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Zonguldak

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 Zonguldak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,585 in Sofia, $1,069 in Zonguldak – Zonguldak comes out roughly 33% 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 $1,603 in Zonguldak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zonguldak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $769 in Sofia.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Sofia and $22 in Zonguldak. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% more in Sofia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,585 in Sofia and $1,069 in Zonguldak, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,069 in Zonguldak to $1,585 in Sofia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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

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