Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chartres and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $1,707 in Chartres, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

82

Cost of Living Index in Chartres
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Chartres Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Chartres

🇫🇷 France

$1,707

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,707 per month in Chartres vs $1,600 in Sofia, rent included.

Chartres $1,707
Sofia $1,600

A couple spends around $2,598 per month in Chartres vs $2,490 in Sofia, rent included.

Chartres $2,598
Sofia $2,490

A family of three spends $3,490 per month in Chartres vs $3,380 in Sofia, rent included.

Chartres $3,490
Sofia $3,380

Chartres costs about 7% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chartres and Sofia sit above the global median – Chartres by 26%, Sofia by 18%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.24 €12.67

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-16.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.2 €44.65

$68.3 BGN 119

-26.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.65 €9.47

$11.62 BGN 20.21

-8.35%

Cappuccino

$2.63 €2.34

$3.43 BGN 5.98

-23.32%

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

$3.08 €2.74

$2.34 BGN 4.08

31.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.47 €1.30

$1.83 BGN 3.19

-19.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.21 €7.30

$3.41 BGN 5.93

140.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.55 €4.94

$4.44 BGN 7.73

25.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-32.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.49 BGN 2.59

17.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.59 €2.30

$2.33 BGN 4.05

11.16%

Eggs

$3.83 €3.41

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-13.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.96 €8.86

$11.54 BGN 20.08

-13.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.00 €10.67

$8.88 BGN 15.44

35.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.16 €14.38

$17.51 BGN 30.46

-7.71%

Apples (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$2.15 BGN 3.74

45.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$2.07 BGN 3.60

44.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.93 BGN 3.37

-24.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.11 €3.66

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-3.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.03 BGN 1.79

71.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$0.88 BGN 1.54

128.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.19 BGN 2.07

32.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.13 €0.12

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-85.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.73 €11.32

$4.23 BGN 7.35

200.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 €5.02

$7.87 BGN 13.69

-28.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.18 BGN 2.06

23.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.89 BGN 3.29

-15.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.92 €1.71

$0.93 BGN 1.62

106.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.17 €42.85

$28.30 BGN 49.24

70.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.32 €2.06

$1.68 BGN 2.93

38.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.14 €1.02

$0.96 BGN 1.68

18.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.69 €29.08

$15.36 BGN 26.73

112.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.87

$1.77 BGN 3.09

18.64%

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

$16.8K €15.0K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

-44.84%

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

$24.5K €21.8K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

-2.40%

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

$206 €183

$157 BGN 273

31.16%

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

$20.99 €18.67

$21.12 BGN 36.74

-0.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.24 €28.68

$15.32 BGN 26.65

110.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.25 €32.25

$46.39 BGN 80.7

-21.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.22 €11.76

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-52.94%

Cinema Ticket

$15.47 €13.76

$10.04 BGN 17.46

54.08%

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

$894 €795

$775 BGN 1,348

15.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,960 €8,859

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

-20.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$124 €111

$88.1 BGN 153

41.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.64 €41.49

$41.39 BGN 72.0

12.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €90.2

$107 BGN 186

-5.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.3 €85.7

$106 BGN 185

-9.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €672

$770 BGN 1,340

-1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$609 €542

$602 BGN 1,048

1.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,359 €1,209

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-13.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,119 €995

$1,036 BGN 1,803

7.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,929 €3,495

$4,567 BGN 7,946

-13.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,050 €1,824

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-35.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,742 BGN 3,031

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.9

2.89

34.95%

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

Last update for Chartres: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chartres

$610 35.7%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 1.2% $7.3

Groceries & Markets

Chartres

$294 17.2%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 1% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chartres

$259 15.2%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 25.4% $66

Eating Out

Chartres

$248 14.5%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 2.7% $6.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chartres

$166 9.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 7.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chartres

$67 3.9%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 1.1% $0.7

Getting Around

Chartres

$64 3.7%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 39.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $756 in Chartres versus $770 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 $50.0 in Chartres versus $68.0 in Sofia. Groceries tell a different story – $294 in Chartres vs $291 in Sofia – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Chartres

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

21:48 9:48 PM

22:48 10:48 PM

1 h ahead of Chartres

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,447

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

Chartres Sofia 1,810 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chartres
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

Chartres vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chartres costs about 7% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,561 per month in Chartres and $2,400 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sofia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $894 per month in Chartres and $775 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 1% more in Chartres, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,600, than in Chartres at $1,707. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chartres it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sofia costs $1,600 versus $1,707 in Chartres. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

If budget matters most, go with Sofia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chartres makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.