Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Les Ulis

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,594 a month against $1,918 in Les Ulis, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Les Ulis
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Les Ulis Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Les Ulis

🇫🇷 France

$1,918

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Les Ulis

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 Les Ulis actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,918 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Les Ulis $1,918

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,987 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Les Ulis $2,987

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $4,056 in Les Ulis, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Les Ulis $4,056

Sofia is about 17% cheaper than Les Ulis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Les Ulis sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Les Ulis by 42%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$18.76 €16.74

-10.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$78.1 €69.7

-15.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$13.45 €11.99

-15.84%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$5.26 €4.69

-34.79%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$4.44 €3.96

-45.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$2.83 €2.52

-34.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$7.71 €6.88

-52.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$6.67 €5.95

-31.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.51 €1.35

33.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$2.55 €2.28

-38.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.80 €2.50

-16.79%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$4.28 €3.82

1.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$22.48 €20.05

-47.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$13.78 €12.30

-35.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$21.86 €19.50

-20.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$3.13 €2.79

-31.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.26 €2.02

-12.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.85 €2.55

-32.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$4.14 €3.69

2.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.86 €1.66

-44.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$2.47 €2.21

-65.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.87 €1.67

-38.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.95 €0.85

-6.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$14.23 €12.69

-70.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$8.71 €7.77

-14.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$2.64 €2.36

-56.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$3.58 €3.20

-48.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.66 €1.48

-47.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$51.6 €46.03

-44.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$9.02 €8.04

-81.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.48 €1.32

-36.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$45.20 €40.32

-66.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$2.28 €2.03

-25.88%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$35.1K €31.3K

-15.13%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$35.9K €32.0K

-27.13%

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

$156 BGN 273

$246 €219

-36.54%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$15.81 €14.10

36.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$29.89 €26.66

-49.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$30.59 €27.28

50.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$14.72 €13.13

-30.84%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$1,759 €1,569

-55.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$10.0K €8,940

27.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$108 €96.7

-17.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$51.9 €46.32

-20.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$122 €109

-13.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$159 €142

-33.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$704 €628

11.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$559 €498

6.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$1,377 €1,228

10.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$1,043 €930

-1.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$4,397 €3,922

-1.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,859 €2,550

11.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.4

-15.00%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Les Ulis: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Les Ulis

$559 29.1% 6.4% $38

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Les Ulis

$399 20.8% 37.5% $109

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Les Ulis

$335 17.4% 31.3% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Les Ulis

$292 15.2% 51.2% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Les Ulis

$199 10.4% 28.7% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Les Ulis

$60 3.1% 9.7% $6.4

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Les Ulis

$75 3.9% 94.6% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $704 in Les Ulis. 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 $66.0 in Sofia versus $78.0 in Les Ulis. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $399 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Les Ulis

🕒 Local time

07:49 7:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

25,253

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 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 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

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Les Ulis

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 Les Ulis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,594 in Sofia, $1,918 in Les Ulis – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,876 in Les Ulis. 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.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Les Ulis, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $78.0 in Les Ulis. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sofia, where all-in costs run around $1,594, than in Les Ulis at $1,918. In Sofia it covers expenses comfortably, while in Les Ulis 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 $1,594 in Sofia to $1,918 in Les Ulis. 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, Les Ulis makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.