Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Rouen

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.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
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Sofia Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Rouen
Learn more

Rouen Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Rouen

🇫🇷 France

$1,709

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Rouen

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

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

Sofia $1,594
Rouen $1,709

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

Sofia $2,478
Rouen $2,608

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

Sofia $3,361
Rouen $3,507

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.52

$16.76 €14.94

0.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$66.0 €58.9

-0.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.80

$11.29 €10.07

0.27%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$3.26 €2.91

5.21%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.22

$3.61 €3.22

-33.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.12 €2.78

-40.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.48

$7.17 €6.39

-48.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$6.59 €5.88

-30.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.53

$1.47 €1.31

37.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$1.12 €1.00

39.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.07

$2.12 €1.89

9.91%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.63

$3.65 €3.26

19.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.59

$17.91 €15.97

-34.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.46

$9.33 €8.32

-5.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.56

$26.54 €23.67

-34.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.76

$2.51 €2.24

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.46

$2.96 €2.64

-33.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$2.43 €2.17

-20.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.42

$3.20 €2.86

32.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$2.02 €1.80

-48.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.49

$1.48 €1.32

-42.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$1.27 €1.13

-9.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.57

$0.44 €0.39

102.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.37

$14.30 €12.75

-70.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 13.05

$6.81 €6.07

9.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.02

$2.56 €2.28

-55.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.25

$3.16 €2.82

-41.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$2.05 €1.83

-57.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.93

$48.42 €43.17

-41.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$8.70 €7.76

-80.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.64

$1.25 €1.12

-24.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.86

$33.20 €29.60

-53.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$2.07 €1.84

-18.36%

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

$29.8K BGN 52.1K

$34.9K €31.1K

-14.71%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.7K

$35.7K €31.8K

-26.79%

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

$156 BGN 273

$210 €187

-25.61%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.74

$23.13 €20.62

-6.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.66

$39.52 €35.23

-61.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$42.66 €38.04

8.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.86

$16.77 €14.95

66.49%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.82

$14.56 €12.98

-30.08%

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

$774 BGN 1,355

$883 €788

-12.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

$9,874 €8,804

29.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$84.3 €75.1

6.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 72.3

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 184

$94.7 €84.4

11.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 187

$106 €94.4

0.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,370

$674 €601

16.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,044

$545 €486

9.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,653

$1,233 €1,100

22.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,803

$924 €824

11.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,612

$3,871 €3,451

12.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,560

$2,327 €2,075

36.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,037

$2,530 €2,255

-31.40%

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 Rouen: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Rouen

$545 31.9% 8.7% $52

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Rouen

$337 19.7% 16.1% $47

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Rouen

$283 16.6% 11.1% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Rouen

$272 15.9% 41.3% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Rouen

$128 * 7.5% 17% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Rouen

$72 4.2% 8% $5.3

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Rouen

$72 4.2% 86.6% $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 $783 in Sofia and $674 in Rouen. 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 Sofia vs $66.0 in Rouen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $290 vs $337 per month, with Sofia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Rouen

🕒 Local time

09:34 9:34 AM

08:34 8:34 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

114,083

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

From you

Sofia
Rouen

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 Rouen: 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.

On paper, salaries run 46% lower in Rouen. 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 $674 in Rouen. 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 $1,594 per month in Sofia versus $1,709 in Rouen – 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, Sofia and Rouen 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.