Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Brest

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Brest
Learn more

Brest Living Index

Jump to prices

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Brest

🇫🇷 France

$1,381

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Brest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sofia and in Brest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Sofia $1,594
Brest $1,381

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

Sofia $2,478
Brest $2,157

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

Sofia $3,361
Brest $2,933

Living in Sofia is roughly 15% more expensive than in Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$15.39 €13.69

9.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$45.10 €40.11

45.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$11.33 €10.07

-0.09%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.97 €2.64

15.49%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.02 €2.69

-20.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$2.04 €1.82

-9.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$6.48 €5.76

-42.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.41 €4.81

-15.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.11 €0.99

81.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.52 €1.35

2.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.57 €2.29

-9.34%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.50 €3.11

24.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$18.71 €16.64

-37.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$10.12 €9.00

-12.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$14.34 €12.75

21.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$2.94 €2.61

-26.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$1.90 €1.69

4.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.62 €2.33

-26.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.89 €2.57

46.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.70 €1.51

-38.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$2.02 €1.80

-57.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.39 €1.24

-17.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$0.34 €0.30

161.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$13.40 €11.92

-68.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$6.89 €6.13

8.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$2.62 €2.33

-56.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.81 €2.50

-34.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.88 €1.67

-53.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$39.58 €35.21

-27.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$8.32 €7.40

-79.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.95 €2.63

-68.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

$30.97 €27.54

-50.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.02 €1.79

-16.34%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$36.8K €32.7K

-18.98%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$34.3K €30.6K

-23.91%

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

$156 BGN 272

$141 €126

10.46%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$27.20 €24.20

-20.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$31.11 €27.67

-51.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$35.05 €31.18

31.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$15.12 €13.45

84.66%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$13.74 €12.22

-25.91%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$223 €198

247.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$11.4K €10.1K

12.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$69.1 €61.4

30.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.43 €27.07

35.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$76.7 €68.2

37.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$69.5 €61.8

53.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$512 €456

52.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$380 €338

57.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$882 €784

71.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$733 €652

40.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$2,804 €2,494

55.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$2,503 €2,226

26.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,642 €2,350

-34.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.82

-24.35%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Brest

$380 27.5% 36.4% $217

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Brest

$303 21.9% 4.2% $12

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Brest

$256 18.5% 0.5% $1.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Brest

$200 14.5% 3.5% $6.7

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Brest

$111 8% 28.4% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Brest

$63 4.5% 5.9% $3.9

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Brest

$70 5.1% 82.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $783 in Sofia and $512 in Brest. 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: $66.0 in Sofia vs $45.00 in Brest. Groceries flip the comparison at $290 vs $303, with Sofia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Brest

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

19:35 7:35 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

139,619

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sofia
Brest

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

Sofia vs Brest: 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.

On paper, salaries run 52% lower in Brest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $783 in Sofia versus $512 in Brest. 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 $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,381 in Brest – 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, Sofia and Brest 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.