Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rennes and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,600 a month against $1,722 in Rennes, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. The total is higher in Rennes despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Rennes
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Rennes Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Rennes

🇫🇷 France

$1,722

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,600

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,722 in Rennes versus $1,600 in Sofia.

Rennes $1,722
Sofia $1,600

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,694 in Rennes versus $2,490 in Sofia.

Rennes $2,694
Sofia $2,490

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,666 in Rennes versus $3,380 in Sofia.

Rennes $3,666
Sofia $3,380

Living in Rennes is roughly 8% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Rennes 27% above, Sofia 18% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.73 €13.10

$16.96 BGN 29.51

-13.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 €60.7

$68.3 BGN 119

-0.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.30 €11.83

$11.62 BGN 20.21

14.46%

Cappuccino

$3.53 €3.14

$3.43 BGN 5.98

2.92%

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

$2.60 €2.31

$2.34 BGN 4.08

11.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.83 BGN 3.19

13.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.93 €7.06

$3.41 BGN 5.93

132.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$4.44 BGN 7.73

28.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 €1.07

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-39.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.49 BGN 2.59

32.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.33 €2.96

$2.33 BGN 4.05

42.92%

Eggs

$3.68 €3.28

$4.41 BGN 7.68

-16.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.15 €15.25

$11.54 BGN 20.08

48.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.44 €11.95

$8.88 BGN 15.44

51.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.62 €21.01

$17.51 BGN 30.46

34.89%

Apples (1kg)

$3.27 €2.91

$2.15 BGN 3.74

52.09%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$2.07 BGN 3.60

-3.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.22

$1.93 BGN 3.37

29.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.30 €2.94

$4.25 BGN 7.39

-22.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.03 BGN 1.79

131.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.88 BGN 1.54

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.19 BGN 2.07

30.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 €0.80

$0.89 BGN 1.55

1.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.25 €11.78

$4.23 BGN 7.35

213.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 €6.13

$7.87 BGN 13.69

-12.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.03

$1.18 BGN 2.06

188.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 €3.10

$1.89 BGN 3.29

84.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.87 €1.66

$0.93 BGN 1.62

101.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 €50.8

$28.30 BGN 49.24

101.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.78 €7.81

$1.68 BGN 2.93

422.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.96 BGN 1.68

26.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.98 €29.34

$15.36 BGN 26.73

114.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.77 BGN 3.09

21.47%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

13.82%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$25.1K BGN 43.6K

49.86%

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

$156 €139

$157 BGN 273

-0.55%

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

$13.30 €11.83

$21.12 BGN 36.74

-37.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.84 €27.43

$15.32 BGN 26.65

101.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.83 €36.31

$46.39 BGN 80.7

-11.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.48 €11.11

$28.09 BGN 48.87

-55.57%

Cinema Ticket

$13.65 €12.14

$10.04 BGN 17.46

35.96%

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

$904 €805

$775 BGN 1,348

16.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,919 €8,823

$12.5K BGN 21.8K

-20.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.3 €75.9

$88.1 BGN 153

-3.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 €50.3

$41.39 BGN 72.0

36.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100.0

$107 BGN 186

5.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.3

$106 BGN 185

-2.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 €702

$770 BGN 1,340

2.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$574 €511

$602 BGN 1,048

-4.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 €1,210

$1,564 BGN 2,721

-13.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €932

$1,036 BGN 1,803

1.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,353 €5,651

$4,567 BGN 7,946

39.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,149 €2,801

$3,162 BGN 5,502

-0.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,873 €2,555

$1,742 BGN 3,031

64.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.91

2.89

35.29%

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

Last update for Rennes: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rennes

$574 33.4%

Sofia

$602 37.6% 4.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Rennes

$369 21.4%

Sofia

$291 18.2% 21.2% $78

Eating Out

Rennes

$270 15.7%

Sofia

$254 15.9% 5.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rennes

$200 11.6%

Sofia

$194 12.1% 3.4% $6.9

Clothing & Footwear

Rennes

$161 9.4%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 4.4% $7

Getting Around

Rennes

$79 4.6%

Sofia

$39 2.4% 51.5% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Rennes

$68 4%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 2.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $789 in Rennes and $770 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rennes pays 65% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $68.0 in Rennes vs $68.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $369 vs $291, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rennes

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

17:10 5:10 PM

18:10 6:10 PM

1 h ahead of Rennes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

225,081

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

Rennes Sofia 2,030 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Rennes
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

Rennes vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 8% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 65% higher in Rennes, 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: $789 in Rennes versus $770 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,722 per month in Rennes versus $1,600 in Sofia – a 8% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Sofia runs roughly 102% less than in Rennes. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,600 in Sofia versus $1,722 in Rennes, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Rennes. The gap between the two cities makes Sofia the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sofia is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Rennes, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rennes 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 Sofia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 8% less than in Rennes. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.