Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lille and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,589 a month against $1,985 in Lille, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Lille
Learn more

Lille Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Lille

🇫🇷 France

$1,985

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,985 per month in Lille vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Lille $1,985
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $2,982 per month in Lille vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Lille $2,982
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $3,980 per month in Lille vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Lille $3,980
Sofia $3,324

Lille costs about 25% more than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lille and Sofia sit above the global median – Lille by 48%, Sofia by 19%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.88 €15.96

$17.10 BGN 29.93

4.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.7 €64.8

$66.9 BGN 117

8.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.19

$11.77 BGN 20.59

16.06%

Cappuccino

$3.72 €3.32

$3.42 BGN 5.99

8.77%

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

$3.31 €2.95

$2.42 BGN 4.23

36.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.96 €7.10

$3.33 BGN 5.83

139.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.69 €5.08

$4.53 BGN 7.92

25.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-34.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.89 €1.68

$1.51 BGN 2.64

25.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 €2.66

$2.21 BGN 3.88

34.84%

Eggs

$4.27 €3.81

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-2.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.87 €19.52

$11.56 BGN 20.22

89.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.91 €11.52

$8.79 BGN 15.38

46.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.35 €20.84

$16.97 BGN 29.71

37.60%

Apples (1kg)

$3.49 €3.12

$2.17 BGN 3.79

60.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$2.04 BGN 3.57

4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.84 BGN 3.22

26.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.07 €2.74

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-28.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.87 €1.67

$1.03 BGN 1.80

81.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$0.93 BGN 1.62

115.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.20 BGN 2.11

45.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.55

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-32.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.10 €12.58

$4.30 BGN 7.53

227.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.29 €7.40

$7.33 BGN 12.83

13.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.22

$1.18 BGN 2.06

111.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.17 €3.73

$1.87 BGN 3.28

122.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 €1.98

$0.87 BGN 1.52

155.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$68.2 €60.9

$28.14 BGN 49.24

142.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.30 €2.05

$1.74 BGN 3.04

32.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 €1.86

$0.96 BGN 1.68

116.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.03 €21.44

$15.54 BGN 27.19

54.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.79 BGN 3.14

20.11%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

14.50%

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

$34.8K €31.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

32.09%

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

$206 €184

$156 BGN 273

32.16%

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

$15.21 €13.57

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-28.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.05 €27.71

$15.64 BGN 27.37

98.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.60 €29.10

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-30.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.01 €8.93

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-63.91%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 €12.33

$10.02 BGN 17.53

37.92%

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

$634 €566

$766 BGN 1,341

-17.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,224 €7,339

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-35.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.9 €79.4

$89.7 BGN 157

-0.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.06 €36.64

$40.88 BGN 71.5

0.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.4

$106 BGN 186

-2.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.6

$105 BGN 183

-1.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €837

$796 BGN 1,393

17.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$723 €645

$607 BGN 1,063

18.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,553 €1,386

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-0.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,013

$1,060 BGN 1,855

7.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,421 €3,945

$4,357 BGN 7,626

1.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,093 €2,760

$3,250 BGN 5,688

-4.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,901 €2,589

$1,740 BGN 3,044

66.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.92

2.89

35.64%

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

Last update for Lille: October 3, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lille

$723 37%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 15.9% $115

Groceries & Markets

Lille

$377 19.3%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 23.8% $90

Eating Out

Lille

$300 15.4%

Sofia

$256 16% 14.7% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lille

$252 12.9%

Sofia

$193 12% 23.6% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Lille

$151 7.7%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 1.5% $2.3

Getting Around

Lille

$90 4.6%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 57.5% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Lille

$60 3.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 10.9% $6.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $938 in Lille versus $796 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 67% higher in Lille, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73.0 in Lille versus $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $377 vs $287 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Lille

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

08:18 8:18 AM

1 h ahead of Lille

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,710

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lille Sofia 1,770 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Lille
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

Lille vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,985 in Lille, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,978 per month in Lille and $2,384 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,985 in Lille and $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 25%.

Public transport costs about 142% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,589, than in Lille at $1,985. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lille it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,589 in Sofia to $1,985 in Lille. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Lille makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.