Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $1,381 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,381

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,381 in Brest versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Brest $1,381
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,157 in Brest versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Brest $2,157
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,933 in Brest versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Brest $2,933
Sofia $3,361

Living in Brest costs roughly 13% less than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Brest 2% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.39 €13.69

$16.87 BGN 29.35

-8.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.10 €40.11

$65.8 BGN 115

-31.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.33 €10.07

$11.32 BGN 19.69

0.09%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.64

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-13.41%

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

$3.02 €2.69

$2.41 BGN 4.19

25.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.85 BGN 3.22

10.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.48 €5.76

$3.70 BGN 6.44

75.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 €4.81

$4.58 BGN 7.97

18.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 €0.99

$2.02 BGN 3.51

-45.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-2.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.33 BGN 4.05

10.30%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.11

$4.36 BGN 7.59

-19.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 €16.64

$11.76 BGN 20.47

59.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.12 €9.00

$8.83 BGN 15.37

14.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 €12.75

$17.46 BGN 30.38

-17.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.61

$2.15 BGN 3.74

36.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.98 BGN 3.44

-4.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.93 BGN 3.37

35.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.89 €2.57

$4.24 BGN 7.37

-31.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 €1.51

$1.04 BGN 1.80

63.46%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.85 BGN 1.48

137.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$1.15 BGN 2.00

20.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-61.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 €11.92

$4.21 BGN 7.33

218.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$7.46 BGN 12.98

-7.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$1.15 BGN 2.01

127.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.85 BGN 3.23

51.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.87 BGN 1.51

116.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.58 €35.21

$28.53 BGN 49.65

38.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.32 €7.40

$1.68 BGN 2.93

395.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.94 BGN 1.63

213.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.97 €27.54

$15.35 BGN 26.70

101.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.69 BGN 2.94

19.53%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

23.43%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

31.42%

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

$141 €126

$156 BGN 272

-9.47%

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

$27.20 €24.20

$21.56 BGN 37.52

26.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.11 €27.67

$15.24 BGN 26.51

104.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.05 €31.18

$46.08 BGN 80.2

-23.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.12 €13.45

$27.92 BGN 48.58

-45.85%

Cinema Ticket

$13.74 €12.22

$10.18 BGN 17.72

34.97%

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

$223 €198

$774 BGN 1,347

-71.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K €10.1K

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

-11.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 €61.4

$89.9 BGN 157

-23.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.43 €27.07

$41.29 BGN 71.8

-26.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 €68.2

$105 BGN 183

-27.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 €61.8

$107 BGN 186

-34.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$512 €456

$783 BGN 1,362

-34.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$380 €338

$597 BGN 1,038

-36.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$882 €784

$1,516 BGN 2,638

-41.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$733 €652

$1,030 BGN 1,792

-28.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,494

$4,350 BGN 7,568

-35.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,503 €2,226

$3,177 BGN 5,528

-21.23%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,642 €2,350

$1,735 BGN 3,019

52.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.82

2.89

32.18%

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

Last update for Brest: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brest

$380 27.5%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 57.2% $217

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$303 21.9%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 4% $12

Eating Out

Brest

$256 18.5%

Sofia

$255 16% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$200 14.5%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 3.4% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$111 8%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 39.6% $44

Getting Around

Brest

$70 5.1%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 45.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$63 4.5%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 6.3% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $512 in Brest and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brest pays 52% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $45.00 in Brest vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $303 vs $290, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Brest

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

18:57 6:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

1 h ahead of Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

139,619

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Brest Sofia 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

Brest vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brest wins on cost – living expenses run 15% lower than in Sofia. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Brest the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 52% higher in Brest, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $512 in Brest versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Brest – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $66.0 in Sofia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,381 per month in Brest versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 15% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,381 in Brest versus $1,594 in Sofia, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Brest but tight or insufficient in Sofia. The gap between the two cities makes Brest the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Brest delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,381 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Brest hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brest and Sofia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Brest gentler on the wallet – expenses run 15% less than in Sofia. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.