Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Van and Sofia

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.

46

Cost of Living Index in Van
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Van Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Van

🇹🇷 Turkey

$956

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Van 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 Van and in Sofia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Van $956
Sofia $1,609

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

Van $1,536
Sofia $2,495

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

Van $2,116
Sofia $3,381

Van is about 41% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.48 ₺373

$16.88 BGN 29.70

-55.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.59 ₺1,724

$66.5 BGN 117

-47.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.93 ₺395

$11.59 BGN 20.40

-31.58%

Cappuccino

$3.57 ₺178

$3.52 BGN 6.20

1.42%

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

$1.14 ₺56.6

$2.42 BGN 4.25

-52.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ₺21.18

$1.77 BGN 3.11

-76.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 ₺166

$3.68 BGN 6.48

-9.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 ₺154

$4.38 BGN 7.70

-29.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.68

$1.96 BGN 3.44

-51.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.00 ₺49.81

$1.51 BGN 2.65

-33.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.20 BGN 3.87

2.27%

Eggs

$1.48 ₺73.9

$4.40 BGN 7.75

-66.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.99 ₺448

$11.76 BGN 20.70

-23.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.07 ₺203

$8.68 BGN 15.28

-53.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.62 ₺1,127

$17.37 BGN 30.57

30.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$2.13 BGN 3.75

-14.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 ₺91.1

$2.05 BGN 3.61

-10.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ₺54.4

$1.93 BGN 3.40

-43.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 ₺57.4

$4.17 BGN 7.34

-72.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 ₺25.74

$1.08 BGN 1.90

-51.85%

Onion (1kg)

$0.35 ₺17.45

$0.91 BGN 1.60

-61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 ₺36.88

$1.18 BGN 2.08

-37.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.54

$0.84 BGN 1.47

-27.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$4.18 BGN 7.36

-48.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.36 ₺516

$7.68 BGN 13.51

34.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.01 ₺100.0

$1.17 BGN 2.06

71.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₺139

$1.80 BGN 3.17

55.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 ₺36.60

$0.87 BGN 1.52

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ₺64.6

$1.68 BGN 2.96

-22.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 ₺37.86

$0.87 BGN 1.54

-12.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 ₺359

$15.76 BGN 27.74

-54.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 ₺64.0

$1.73 BGN 3.04

-26.01%

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

$42.2K ₺2.1M

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

42.39%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

52.08%

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

$79.9 ₺3,982

$161 BGN 283

-50.33%

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

$10.46 ₺522

$21.08 BGN 37.10

-50.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.39 ₺667

$15.19 BGN 26.73

-11.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.0 ₺2,842

$48.34 BGN 85.1

17.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ₺324

$10.16 BGN 17.88

-36.12%

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

$624 ₺31.1K

$785 BGN 1,382

-20.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ₺566.2K

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-10.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.86 ₺2,285

$89.8 BGN 158

-48.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.35 ₺1,662

$41.29 BGN 72.7

-19.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 ₺3,970

$108 BGN 189

-25.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.8 ₺4,426

$109 BGN 192

-18.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$469 ₺23.4K

$789 BGN 1,389

-40.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 ₺13.9K

$604 BGN 1,063

-53.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 ₺40.7K

$1,517 BGN 2,670

-46.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$586 ₺29.2K

$1,037 BGN 1,825

-43.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,491 ₺74.3K

$4,407 BGN 7,756

-66.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 ₺48.2K

$3,137 BGN 5,521

-69.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.33

2.89

1330.10%

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

Last update for Van: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Van

$278 29.1%

Sofia

$604 37.5% 117% $326

Groceries & Markets

Van

$229 23.9%

Sofia

$288 17.9% 25.9% $59

Eating Out

Van

$156 16.3%

Sofia

$256 15.9% 64.6% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Van

$111 11.7%

Sofia

$157 9.7% 40.5% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Van

$104 10.9%

Sofia

$197 12.3% 90% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Van

$70 7.3%

Sofia

$69 4.3% 1.9% $1.4

Getting Around

Van

$8 * 0.8%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 380% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇹🇷 Van

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

15:55 3:55 PM

14:55 2:55 PM

1 h behind Van

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,141,015

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

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).

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).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Van
Sofia

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

Van vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Van and $2,413 in Sofia. 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 $35 in Van and $66 in Sofia. 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.