Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rouen and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,709 in Rouen, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
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Rouen Living Index
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index

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Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,709

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,709 in Rouen versus $1,594 in Sofia.

Rouen $1,709
Sofia $1,594

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,608 in Rouen versus $2,478 in Sofia.

Rouen $2,608
Sofia $2,478

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,507 in Rouen versus $3,361 in Sofia.

Rouen $3,507
Sofia $3,361

Living in Rouen is roughly 7% more expensive than in Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.76 €14.94

$16.87 BGN 29.52

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.9

$65.8 BGN 115

0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.29 €10.07

$11.32 BGN 19.80

-0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.26 €2.91

$3.43 BGN 6.01

-4.96%

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

$3.61 €3.22

$2.41 BGN 4.22

49.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$1.85 BGN 3.23

68.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.17 €6.39

$3.70 BGN 6.48

93.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.88

$4.58 BGN 8.02

43.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.31

$2.02 BGN 3.53

-27.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.56 BGN 2.74

-28.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.33 BGN 4.07

-9.01%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.26

$4.36 BGN 7.63

-16.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.91 €15.97

$11.76 BGN 20.59

52.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.33 €8.32

$8.83 BGN 15.46

5.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.54 €23.67

$17.46 BGN 30.56

52.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 €2.24

$2.15 BGN 3.76

16.74%

Banana (1kg)

$2.96 €2.64

$1.98 BGN 3.46

49.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.93 BGN 3.39

25.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.86

$4.24 BGN 7.42

-24.53%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.04 BGN 1.81

94.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.85 BGN 1.49

74.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.15 BGN 2.02

10.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.89 BGN 1.57

-50.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.30 €12.75

$4.21 BGN 7.37

239.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 €6.07

$7.46 BGN 13.05

-8.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.15 BGN 2.02

122.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 €2.82

$1.85 BGN 3.25

70.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 €1.83

$0.87 BGN 1.52

135.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.42 €43.17

$28.53 BGN 49.93

69.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.70 €7.76

$1.68 BGN 2.95

417.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.94 BGN 1.64

32.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.20 €29.60

$15.35 BGN 26.86

116.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.69 BGN 2.96

22.49%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

17.24%

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

$35.7K €31.8K

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

36.59%

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

$210 €187

$156 BGN 273

34.43%

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

$23.13 €20.62

$21.56 BGN 37.74

7.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.52 €35.23

$15.24 BGN 26.66

159.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.66 €38.04

$46.08 BGN 80.6

-7.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 €14.95

$27.92 BGN 48.86

-39.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.56 €12.98

$10.18 BGN 17.82

43.03%

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

$883 €788

$774 BGN 1,355

14.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,874 €8,804

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-22.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.3 €75.1

$89.9 BGN 157

-6.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 €84.4

$105 BGN 184

-9.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 €94.4

$107 BGN 187

-0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$674 €601

$783 BGN 1,370

-13.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$545 €486

$597 BGN 1,044

-8.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,233 €1,100

$1,516 BGN 2,653

-18.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$924 €824

$1,030 BGN 1,803

-10.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,871 €3,451

$4,350 BGN 7,612

-11.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,327 €2,075

$3,177 BGN 5,560

-26.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,530 €2,255

$1,735 BGN 3,037

45.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.81

2.89

31.83%

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

Last update for Rouen: October 12, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rouen

$545 31.9%

Sofia

$597 37.4% 9.5% $52

Groceries & Markets

Rouen

$337 19.7%

Sofia

$290 18.2% 13.8% $47

Eating Out

Rouen

$283 16.6%

Sofia

$255 16% 10% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rouen

$272 15.9%

Sofia

$193 12.1% 29.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Rouen

$128 * 7.5%

Sofia

$154 9.7% 20.4% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Sofia

$66 4.2% 7.4% $5.3

Getting Around

Rouen

$72 4.2%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 46.4% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $674 in Rouen and $783 in Sofia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Rouen pays 46% 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: $66.0 in Rouen vs $66.0 in Sofia. Groceries flip the comparison at $337 vs $290, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Rouen

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

08:41 8:41 AM

1 h ahead of Rouen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,083

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 = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Rouen Sofia 1,860 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Rouen
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

Rouen vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 7% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 46% higher in Rouen, 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: $674 in Rouen versus $783 in Sofia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,709 per month in Rouen versus $1,594 in Sofia – a 7% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,594 in Sofia versus $1,709 in Rouen, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Sofia but tight or insufficient in Rouen. 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 Rouen, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Rouen 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 7% less than in Rouen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.