Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sofia and Saint-Etienne

For one person, living is cheaper in Saint-Etienne: $1,441 a month against $1,594 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Sofia outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index
70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
Learn more

Saint-Etienne Living Index

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Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,594

/mo nomad

Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sofia and in Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,594 per month in Sofia vs $1,441 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Sofia $1,594
Saint-Etienne $1,441

A couple spends around $2,478 per month in Sofia vs $2,272 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Sofia $2,478
Saint-Etienne $2,272

A family of three spends $3,361 per month in Sofia vs $3,103 in Saint-Etienne, rent included.

Sofia $3,361
Saint-Etienne $3,103

Sofia costs about 11% more than Saint-Etienne, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sofia and Saint-Etienne sit above the global median – Sofia by 18%, Saint-Etienne by 7%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.87 BGN 29.35

$16.72 €14.88

0.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 BGN 115

$56.6 €50.4

16.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 BGN 19.69

$13.48 €11.99

-16.02%

Cappuccino

$3.43 BGN 5.98

$2.03 €1.81

68.97%

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

$2.41 BGN 4.19

$3.45 €3.07

-30.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.22

$1.62 €1.44

14.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 BGN 6.44

$5.11 €4.55

-27.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.97

$5.52 €4.91

-17.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 BGN 3.51

$1.31 €1.17

54.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.14 €1.01

36.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.17 €1.93

7.37%

Eggs

$4.36 BGN 7.59

$3.04 €2.71

43.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.76 BGN 20.47

$17.41 €15.49

-32.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$10.94 €9.73

-19.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.46 BGN 30.38

$16.43 €14.61

6.27%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 BGN 3.74

$3.43 €3.05

-37.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.44

$2.61 €2.32

-24.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.43 €2.17

-20.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 BGN 7.37

$2.83 €2.52

49.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$1.60 €1.42

-35.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.71 €1.52

-50.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 BGN 2.00

$1.13 €1.01

1.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.56

$2.24 €2.00

-60.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.21 BGN 7.33

$12.22 €10.87

-65.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.46 BGN 12.98

$10.11 €8.99

-26.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$3.44 €3.06

-66.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.39 €3.02

-45.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.51

$1.81 €1.61

-51.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.53 BGN 49.65

$39.38 €35.03

-27.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.71 €2.41

-38.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.35 BGN 26.70

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.07 €1.84

-18.36%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

$19.9K €17.7K

49.39%

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

$26.1K BGN 45.5K

$32.5K €28.9K

-19.64%

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

$156 BGN 272

$168 €150

-7.29%

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

$21.56 BGN 37.52

$29.15 €25.93

-26.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.24 BGN 26.51

$18.79 €16.71

-18.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.08 BGN 80.2

$30.48 €27.11

51.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.92 BGN 48.58

$6.63 €5.90

321.12%

Cinema Ticket

$10.18 BGN 17.72

$9.90 €8.80

2.83%

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

$774 BGN 1,347

$984 €875

-21.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K BGN 22.3K

$15.8K €14.0K

-18.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.9 BGN 157

$70.6 €62.8

27.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.29 BGN 71.8

$30.10 €26.77

37.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 BGN 183

$103 €91.9

1.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 BGN 186

$154 €137

-30.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$783 BGN 1,362

$526 €468

48.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$597 BGN 1,038

$367 €326

62.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,516 BGN 2,638

$883 €786

71.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 BGN 1,792

$713 €634

44.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,350 BGN 7,568

$1,679 €1,494

159.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,177 BGN 5,528

$1,631 €1,451

94.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,735 BGN 3,019

$2,205 €1,961

-21.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.67

-21.25%

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

Last update for Sofia: October 13, 2026

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sofia

$597 37.4%

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5% 38.5% $230

Groceries & Markets

Sofia

$290 18.2%

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7% 17.8% $52

Eating Out

Sofia

$255 16%

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7% 0.3% $0.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sofia

$193 12.1%

Saint-Etienne

$216 15% 12.1% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Sofia

$154 9.7%

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2% 4.2% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Sofia

$66 4.2%

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5% 24.3% $16

Getting Around

Sofia

$38 2.4%

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4% 28.5% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $783 in Sofia versus $526 in Saint-Etienne. 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 27% higher in Saint-Etienne, 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 $57.0 in Saint-Etienne. Groceries tell a different story – $290 in Sofia vs $342 in Saint-Etienne – so Sofia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sofia

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

07:47 7:47 AM

1 h behind Sofia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,286,383 Capital

172,718

💱 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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sofia Saint-Etienne 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Sofia
Saint-Etienne

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 Saint-Etienne: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 11%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in Sofia and $2,162 in Saint-Etienne. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 38% less in Saint-Etienne. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $774 per month in Sofia and $984 in Saint-Etienne. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Saint-Etienne, where all-in costs run around $1,441, than in Sofia at $1,594. In Saint-Etienne it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Saint-Etienne – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Saint-Etienne. 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.