Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Yekaterinburg and Sofia

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.

65

Cost of Living Index in Yekaterinburg
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Yekaterinburg Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Yekaterinburg

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,351

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Yekaterinburg $1,351
Sofia $1,585

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

Yekaterinburg $2,221
Sofia $2,486

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

Yekaterinburg $3,091
Sofia $3,387

Yekaterinburg is about 15% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.38 ₽1,178

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-13.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.3 ₽4,615

$67.7 BGN 118

-16.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.26 ₽595

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-37.84%

Cappuccino

$2.32 ₽190

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-31.96%

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

$1.17 ₽96.2

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-50.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 ₽39.19

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-71.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ₽181

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-44.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 ₽250

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-32.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 ₽99.9

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-37.11%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 ₽57.4

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 ₽105

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-45.11%

Eggs

$1.67 ₽137

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-63.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.41 ₽934

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-0.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.49 ₽449

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-36.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.56 ₽1,110

$17.34 BGN 30.17

-21.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 ₽166

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-5.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 ₽143

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-11.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 ₽127

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-14.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.84 ₽233

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-33.49%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 ₽52.6

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-38.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 ₽50.2

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-31.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 ₽126

$1.19 BGN 2.06

29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 ₽72.5

$0.83 BGN 1.45

6.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 ₽293

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-18.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.37 ₽604

$7.42 BGN 12.91

-0.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₽122

$1.16 BGN 2.01

27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₽216

$1.90 BGN 3.30

38.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 ₽40.87

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-45.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.74 ₽1,536

$28.11 BGN 48.91

-33.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.27 ₽350

$1.67 BGN 2.90

155.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.18 ₽14.70

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-78.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.51 ₽370

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-72.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 ₽67.9

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-52.30%

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

$52.5K ₽4.3M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

75.41%

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

$38.3K ₽3.1M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

53.01%

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

$124 ₽10.2K

$158 BGN 275

-21.44%

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

$6.30 ₽516

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-70.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.26 ₽1,004

$15.12 BGN 26.30

-18.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.92 ₽3,598

$46.85 BGN 81.5

-6.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.27 ₽2,972

$27.82 BGN 48.41

30.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.28 ₽596

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-27.20%

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

$353 ₽29.0K

$815 BGN 1,419

-56.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,843 ₽314.8K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-73.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 ₽9,857

$87.1 BGN 152

38.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$91.7 ₽7,514

$38.28 BGN 66.6

139.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$166 ₽13.6K

$106 BGN 184

57.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$153 ₽12.6K

$107 BGN 187

43.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ₽65.7K

$769 BGN 1,338

4.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$474 ₽38.8K

$593 BGN 1,032

-20.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,346 ₽110.2K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-12.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,018 ₽83.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-4.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,747 ₽225.1K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-39.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,139 ₽175.3K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-31.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$945 ₽77.4K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-46.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

22.22

2.89

668.86%

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

Last update for Yekaterinburg: November 2, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Yekaterinburg

$474 35.1%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 25.1% $119

Clothing & Footwear

Yekaterinburg

$239 17.7%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 36.4% $87

Groceries & Markets

Yekaterinburg

$222 16.4%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 29.8% $66

Eating Out

Yekaterinburg

$188 14%

Sofia

$254 16% 34.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Yekaterinburg

$143 10.6%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 36.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Yekaterinburg

$58 4.3%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 14.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Yekaterinburg

$26 1.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 45.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $802 in Yekaterinburg versus $769 in Sofia. 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 $56 in Yekaterinburg versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $288 – making Yekaterinburg the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Yekaterinburg

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

08:04 8:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

3 h behind Yekaterinburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,495,066

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 = 0.514 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 81.92 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.55 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

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).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Yekaterinburg
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

Yekaterinburg vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,351 in Yekaterinburg and $1,585 in Sofia. 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.