Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Orleans

For one person, living costs are similar in Sofia and in Orleans: $1,594 and $1,583 a month, rent and utilities included.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
77

Cost of Living Index in Orleans
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Orleans Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Orleans

🇫🇷 France

$1,583

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Orleans

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,583 in Orleans, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Orleans $1,583

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,398 in Orleans, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Orleans $2,398

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,214 in Orleans, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Orleans $3,214

Sofia costs about 1% more than Orleans, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Sofia and Orleans sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Orleans by 17%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$16.98 €15.14

-0.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$54.8 €48.87

20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$11.18 €9.97

1.25%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$2.86 €2.55

19.93%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$2.97 €2.65

-18.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$1.41 €1.26

31.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$5.48 €4.89

-32.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$6.57 €5.86

-30.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.13 €1.01

78.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$1.12 €1.00

39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.23 €1.99

4.48%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.55 €3.16

22.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$12.49 €11.13

-5.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$9.24 €8.24

-4.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$19.64 €17.51

-11.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$2.27 €2.03

-5.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.29 €2.04

-13.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.47 €2.20

-21.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$2.26 €2.02

87.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.10 €0.98

-5.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.10 €0.98

-22.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.09 €0.97

5.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$1.11 €0.99

-19.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$14.63 €13.05

-71.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$6.31 €5.63

18.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$2.28 €2.04

-49.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$3.27 €2.91

-43.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.99 €1.77

-56.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$53.8 €47.93

-46.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$9.00 €8.02

-81.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.20 €1.07

-21.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$22.07 €19.67

-30.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.97 €1.75

-14.21%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$27.7K €24.7K

7.53%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$36.4K €32.4K

-28.15%

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

$156 BGN 273

$182 €162

-14.35%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$23.24 €20.72

-7.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$28.23 €25.17

-46.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$31.37 €27.97

46.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$7.98 €7.12

249.87%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$13.79 €12.30

-26.18%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$886 €790

-12.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$3,491 €3,113

266.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$79.5 €70.9

13.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

$40.86 €36.43

1.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$93.2 €83.1

12.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$103 €92.2

3.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$764 €681

2.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$521 €464

14.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$1,057 €942

43.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$878 €783

17.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$2,701 €2,408

61.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,062 €1,839

54.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$3,244 €2,893

-46.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.81

-24.15%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Orleans: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Orleans

$521 32.9% 12.7% $76

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Orleans

$288 18.2% 0.8% $2.3

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Orleans

$262 16.5% 2.8% $7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Orleans

$234 14.8% 21.2% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Orleans

$143 9% 7.6% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Orleans

$59 3.7% 11.3% $7.5

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Orleans

$77 4.9% 99.9% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $764 in Orleans. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 87% higher in Orleans, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia versus $55.0 in Orleans. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $288 – making Orleans the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Orleans

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

07:41 7:41 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

116,617

💱 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Sofia
Orleans

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 Orleans: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sofia costs about 1% more than Orleans, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,374 in Orleans. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Orleans, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Sofia and $55.0 in Orleans. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,594 in Sofia and $1,583 in Orleans. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Orleans, where all-in costs run around $1,583, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Orleans it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Orleans costs $1,583 versus $1,594 in Sofia. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Orleans. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.