Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tula and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Tula: $918 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Tula
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Tula Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Tula

🇷🇺 Russia

$918

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tula and in Sofia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Tula and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $918 per month in Tula vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Tula $918
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,505 per month in Tula vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Tula $1,505
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $2,091 per month in Tula vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Tula $2,091
Sofia $3,387

Tula is about 42% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Tula sits 32% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 ₽990

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-26.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₽4,947

$67.7 BGN 118

-10.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.23 ₽590

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-38.10%

Cappuccino

$3.73 ₽305

$3.41 BGN 5.93

9.38%

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

$1.65 ₽135

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-30.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 ₽72.9

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-46.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 ₽394

$3.99 BGN 6.94

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.98 ₽406

$4.53 BGN 7.88

9.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ₽102

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-35.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₽81.4

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-35.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 ₽139

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-27.66%

Eggs

$1.87 ₽153

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-59.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 ₽1,186

$11.47 BGN 19.96

26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.66 ₽544

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-23.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.08 ₽987

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-30.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 ₽177

$2.15 BGN 3.73

0.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ₽151

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ₽155

$1.83 BGN 3.18

3.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.78 ₽309

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-11.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 ₽78.4

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-7.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 ₽57.1

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-21.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.64 ₽134

$1.19 BGN 2.06

37.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 ₽74.0

$0.83 BGN 1.45

9.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.50 ₽286

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-20.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.30 ₽1,004

$7.42 BGN 12.91

65.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 ₽96.9

$1.16 BGN 2.01

2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ₽208

$1.90 BGN 3.30

34.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 ₽43.78

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-41.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.93 ₽1,791

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-21.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.89 ₽154

$1.67 BGN 2.90

13.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 ₽58.0

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-16.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.20 ₽914

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-32.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 ₽70.6

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-50.57%

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

$43.1K ₽3.5M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

43.83%

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

$39.8K ₽3.2M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

59.06%

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

$164 ₽13.4K

$158 BGN 275

4.04%

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

$8.89 ₽726

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-58.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.78 ₽799

$15.12 BGN 26.30

-35.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.85 BGN 81.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 ₽749

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-8.30%

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

$862 ₽70.4K

$815 BGN 1,419

5.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.7K ₽2.4M

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

102.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 ₽8,643

$87.1 BGN 152

21.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$66.6 ₽5,434

$38.28 BGN 66.6

73.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 ₽11.7K

$106 BGN 184

35.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 ₽14.8K

$107 BGN 187

69.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$769 BGN 1,338

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$593 BGN 1,032

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 BGN 2,662

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 BGN 1,846

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,526 BGN 7,875

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,109 BGN 5,410

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,780 BGN 3,098

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

19.36

2.89

569.90%

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

Last update for Tula: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Tula

$256 27.9%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 12.5% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Tula

$223 24.4%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 31.9% $71

Eating Out

Tula

$208 22.6%

Sofia

$254 16% 22.1% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tula

$183 19.9%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 6.2% $11

Getting Around

Tula

$30 3.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 27.8% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Tula

$18 * 2%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 264% $48

Accommodation & Living

Tula

- * 0%

Sofia

$593 37.4%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61 in Tula versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $256 vs $288 – making Tula the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Tula

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

20:03 8:03 PM

1 h behind Tula

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

475,161

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

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).

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).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Tula Sofia 1,650 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Tula
Sofia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tula vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $918 in Tula, $1,585 in Sofia – Tula comes out roughly 42% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,377 per month in Tula and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $918 in Tula and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Tula about 42% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Tula. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $918 in Tula and $1,585 in Sofia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $918 in Tula 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.