Cost of living comparison
compared to
Sofia vs. Istanbul Cost of Living Summary
Sofia is 13.1% more expensive than Istanbul.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.8% more in Sofia
- Groceries
-
pay 47.4% more in Sofia
- Transportation
-
pay 0.6% less in Sofia
- Housing
-
pay 26.2% more in Sofia
- Childcare
-
pay 44.7% less in Sofia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.6% more in Sofia
- Clothing
-
pay 6.0% more in Sofia
The cost of restaurants, groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing in Sofia are more expensive than in Istanbul. Expenses including childcare and transportation are lower in Sofia.
Sofia vs. Istanbul Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Sofia instead of Istanbul, you would:
pay 50.8% more for restaurants
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.83
TRY460.38
|
$11.94
BGN20.05
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.42
TRY358.07
|
$9.40
BGN15.79
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.41
TRY60.14
|
$1.69
BGN2.85
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.52
TRY22.02
|
$1.35
BGN2.28
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of restaurants
pay 47.4% more for groceries
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.74
TRY31.55
|
$1.27
BGN2.13
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.71
TRY200.11
|
$6.03
BGN10.13
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.92
TRY166.89
|
$7.17
BGN12.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
TRY108.95
|
$3.89
BGN6.54
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.81
TRY119.39
|
$3.74
BGN6.28
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.70
TRY29.67
|
$0.86
BGN1.44
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.04
TRY44.32
|
$0.88
BGN1.48
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.61
TRY26.15
|
$0.87
BGN1.46
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.66
TRY27.97
|
$1.26
BGN2.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.31
TRY12.98
|
$0.50
BGN0.84
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.29
TRY12.21
|
$0.43
BGN0.73
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of groceries
pay 0.6% less for transportation
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.52
TRY192.02
|
$5.82
BGN9.77
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$51.00
TRY2,168.88
|
$29.84
BGN50.14
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$46,262.10
TRY1,967,342.23
|
$30,917.07
BGN51,940.73
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$6.40
TRY272.13
|
$9.19
BGN15.44
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of transportation
pay 26.2% more for housing
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$14.42
TRY613.18
|
$14.81
BGN24.89
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$944.04
TRY40,146.28
|
$730.45
BGN1,227.15
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$600.84
TRY25,551.50
|
$549.13
BGN922.53
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$51.55
TRY2,192.36
|
$120.21
BGN201.96
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of housing
pay 44.7% less for childcare
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,054.93
TRY44,862.11
|
$641.00
BGN1,076.88
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$18,729.11
TRY796,473.95
|
$9,323.50
BGN15,663.49
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of childcare
pay 6.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.61
TRY153.46
|
$2.98
BGN5.01
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.73
TRY158.56
|
$2.61
BGN4.39
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.17
TRY92.08
|
$3.88
BGN6.52
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$60.55
TRY2,574.89
|
$44.47
BGN74.71
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.94
TRY337.61
|
$10.15
BGN17.05
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.0% more for clothing
|
Istanbul
|
Sofia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.12
TRY2,344.15
|
$71.40
BGN119.95
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.04
TRY1,958.06
|
$36.83
BGN61.88
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.25
TRY4,773.38
|
$109.77
BGN184.42
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$100.05
TRY4,254.83
|
$116.74
BGN196.12
|
|
Istanbul vs. Sofia - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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