Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Merignac

For one person, living is cheaper in Sofia: $1,609 a month against $1,887 in Merignac, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Merignac
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Merignac Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,609

/mo nomad

Merignac

🇫🇷 France

$1,887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Merignac

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

A single person spends $1,609 per month in Sofia vs $1,887 in Merignac, rent included.

Sofia $1,609
Merignac $1,887

A couple spends around $2,495 per month in Sofia vs $2,897 in Merignac, rent included.

Sofia $2,495
Merignac $2,897

A family of three spends $3,381 per month in Sofia vs $3,907 in Merignac, rent included.

Sofia $3,381
Merignac $3,907

Sofia is about 15% cheaper than Merignac, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Merignac sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Merignac by 39%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.88 BGN 29.70

$16.82 €15.11

0.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.5 BGN 117

$77.8 €69.8

-14.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.59 BGN 20.40

$13.43 €12.07

-13.70%

Cappuccino

$3.52 BGN 6.20

$3.96 €3.55

-11.11%

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

$2.42 BGN 4.25

$2.93 €2.63

-17.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 BGN 3.11

$1.38 €1.24

28.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.68 BGN 6.48

$7.44 €6.68

-50.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.70

$6.63 €5.96

-33.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 BGN 3.44

$1.17 €1.06

67.52%

White Bread (500g)

$1.51 BGN 2.65

$1.98 €1.78

-23.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.87

$2.52 €2.26

-12.70%

Eggs

$4.40 BGN 7.75

$3.49 €3.14

26.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.70

$13.55 €12.17

-13.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.68 BGN 15.28

$14.70 €13.20

-40.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.37 BGN 30.57

$20.03 €17.99

-13.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.75

$3.43 €3.08

-37.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.61

$2.25 €2.02

-8.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.40

$3.29 €2.96

-41.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.17 BGN 7.34

$3.47 €3.12

20.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.90

$2.27 €2.04

-52.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 BGN 1.60

$2.88 €2.59

-68.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 BGN 2.08

$1.37 €1.23

-13.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.51 €0.46

64.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 BGN 7.36

$13.21 €11.86

-68.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 BGN 13.51

$8.92 €8.01

-13.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$3.46 €3.11

-66.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$3.40 €3.06

-47.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.95 €1.75

-55.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.06 BGN 51.1

$55.2 €49.56

-47.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.96

$2.29 €2.05

-26.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 BGN 1.54

$1.81 €1.63

-51.93%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.76 BGN 27.74

$37.65 €33.82

-58.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.04

$2.18 €1.96

-20.64%

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

$29.7K BGN 52.2K

$35.0K €31.4K

-15.24%

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

$25.6K BGN 45.0K

$36.2K €32.5K

-29.23%

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

$161 BGN 283

$222 €200

-27.62%

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

$21.08 BGN 37.10

$14.09 €12.65

49.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.19 BGN 26.73

$30.79 €27.66

-50.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.34 BGN 85.1

$31.86 €28.62

51.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.47 BGN 48.35

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 BGN 17.88

$12.97 €11.65

-21.67%

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

$785 BGN 1,382

$797 €716

-1.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$10.3K €9,244

23.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.8 BGN 158

$112 €101

-20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.7

$45.56 €40.93

-9.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 BGN 189

$107 €96.1

0.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 BGN 192

$146 €131

-25.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$789 BGN 1,389

$862 €774

-8.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$604 BGN 1,063

$656 €589

-7.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 BGN 2,670

$1,599 €1,436

-5.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,037 BGN 1,825

$1,144 €1,028

-9.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,407 BGN 7,756

$3,985 €3,580

10.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,137 BGN 5,521

$3,034 €2,726

3.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,736 BGN 3,056

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.79

-23.75%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Merignac: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$604 37.5%

Merignac

$656 34.8% 8.6% $52

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$288 17.9%

Merignac

$357 18.9% 24% $69

Eating Out

Sofia

$256 15.9%

Merignac

$290 15.4% 13.3% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$197 12.3%

Merignac

$267 14.2% 35.5% $70

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$157 9.7%

Merignac

$185 9.8% 18.1% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$69 4.3%

Merignac

$58 3.1% 15.8% $11

Getting Around

Sofia

$39 2.4%

Merignac

$74 3.9% 92.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $789 in Sofia versus $862 in Merignac. 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 in Sofia versus $78 in Merignac. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $357 – making Sofia the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Merignac

🕒 Local time

17:18 5:18 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

75,729

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Sofia Merignac 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Merignac

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 Merignac: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,609 in Sofia, $1,887 in Merignac – roughly 17% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,413 per month in Sofia and $2,831 in Merignac. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $789 in Sofia and $862 in Merignac. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 47% less in Sofia. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $785 per month in Sofia and $797 in Merignac. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,609 in Sofia and $1,887 in Merignac, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,609 in Sofia to $1,887 in Merignac. 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.

For expats, Sofia is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 17% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.