Cost of Living in Bulgaria - Updated Prices & Insights

Solo nomad: Estimated monthly costs are $668 (excluding rent), and $1,177 including rent.
Family of 3: Estimated monthly costs are $1,711 (excluding rent), and $2,427 including rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cost
Range
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.75 BGN 19.86
$7.05 BGN 11.91
$17.62 BGN 29.78
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.36 BGN 78.4
$28.98 BGN 48.97
$69.5 BGN 118
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.79 BGN 14.85
$7.62 BGN 12.87
$10.55 BGN 17.83
Cappuccino
$2.33 BGN 3.95
$1.20 BGN 2.03
$3.43 BGN 5.79
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 BGN 2.52
$1.07 BGN 1.81
$2.25 BGN 3.81
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.08 BGN 1.82
$0.60 BGN 1.02
$1.80 BGN 3.05
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.34 BGN 3.96
$1.17 BGN 1.98
$3.52 BGN 5.94
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.92 BGN 4.94
$2.04 BGN 3.45
$4.09 BGN 6.91
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cost
Range
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 BGN 3.02
$1.39 BGN 2.36
$2.11 BGN 3.57
White Bread (500g)
$1.02 BGN 1.72
$0.65 BGN 1.09
$1.74 BGN 2.93
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.14 BGN 3.62
$1.19 BGN 2.01
$2.97 BGN 5.01
Eggs
$3.54 BGN 5.98
$2.17 BGN 3.67
$4.36 BGN 7.36
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 BGN 19.16
$7.22 BGN 12.20
$18.04 BGN 30.49
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.03 BGN 13.56
$4.74 BGN 8.00
$10.65 BGN 18.01
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.22 BGN 20.65
$7.09 BGN 11.98
$17.73 BGN 29.96
Apples (1kg)
$1.70 BGN 2.87
$1.11 BGN 1.88
$2.38 BGN 4.03
Banana (1kg)
$1.97 BGN 3.34
$1.28 BGN 2.16
$2.79 BGN 4.71
Oranges (1kg)
$1.81 BGN 3.06
$1.16 BGN 1.96
$2.90 BGN 4.90
Tomato (1kg)
$2.58 BGN 4.37
$1.48 BGN 2.51
$3.57 BGN 6.04
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 BGN 1.85
$0.58 BGN 0.99
$1.75 BGN 2.96
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 BGN 1.86
$0.60 BGN 1.02
$1.80 BGN 3.05
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.10 BGN 1.87
$0.60 BGN 1.02
$1.81 BGN 3.06
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 BGN 1.23
$0.52 BGN 0.88
$1.23 BGN 2.08
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.70 BGN 6.26
$3.50 BGN 5.91
$4.08 BGN 6.89
Wine (Bottle)
$7.03 BGN 11.89
$4.66 BGN 7.88
$11.70 BGN 19.78
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 BGN 1.77
$0.70 BGN 1.18
$1.45 BGN 2.45
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.80 BGN 3.03
$1.21 BGN 2.05
$2.42 BGN 4.09
🚌 Getting Around
Cost
Range
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 BGN 1.63
$0.60 BGN 1.02
$1.21 BGN 2.04
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.90 BGN 50.5
$18.19 BGN 30.74
$35.88 BGN 60.6
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.46 BGN 2.46
$1.12 BGN 1.89
$1.82 BGN 3.07
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.72 BGN 1.21
$0.56 BGN 0.95
$1.10 BGN 1.86
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$12.55 BGN 21.21
$9.56 BGN 16.16
$16.14 BGN 27.27
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.52 BGN 2.56
$1.46 BGN 2.46
$1.63 BGN 2.76
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.9K BGN 54.0K
$29.2K BGN 49.4K
$31.9K BGN 54.0K
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$28.4K BGN 48.0K
$25.0K BGN 42.3K
$34.6K BGN 58.4K
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cost
Range
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$123 BGN 208
$74.5 BGN 126
$204 BGN 345
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.64 BGN 29.80
$11.76 BGN 19.88
$23.53 BGN 39.76
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.78 BGN 24.97
$10.81 BGN 18.28
$24.03 BGN 40.61
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cost
Range
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.81 BGN 58.8
$20.35 BGN 34.40
$52.3 BGN 88.5
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$15.82 BGN 26.74
$8.79 BGN 14.85
$23.44 BGN 39.61
Cinema Ticket
$8.59 BGN 14.52
$5.73 BGN 9.68
$11.46 BGN 19.36
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cost
Range
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$536 BGN 905
$359 BGN 606
$777 BGN 1,313
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,471 BGN 12.6K
$4,052 BGN 6,847
$17.4K BGN 29.3K
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cost
Range
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 BGN 96.9
$29.19 BGN 49.33
$117 BGN 197
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$34.09 BGN 57.6
$17.97 BGN 30.36
$59.9 BGN 101
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$95.7 BGN 162
$59.4 BGN 100
$148 BGN 251
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101 BGN 170
$49.99 BGN 84.5
$147 BGN 249
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cost
Range
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$499 BGN 843
$299 BGN 505
$837 BGN 1,414
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$374 BGN 631
$205 BGN 346
$585 BGN 988
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$864 BGN 1,459
$464 BGN 784
$1,450 BGN 2,450
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$640 BGN 1,082
$357 BGN 603
$1,070 BGN 1,808
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,386 BGN 4,032
$1,334 BGN 2,254
$4,849 BGN 8,195
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,554 BGN 2,627
$995 BGN 1,681
$2,928 BGN 4,948
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cost
Range
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,152 BGN 1,947
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.92
2.8
5.7

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

Last update: March 10, 2026

By City in Bulgaria
Lowest
Highest
Rank
City
Population
Living Index
Solo costs (no rent) / month
Solo costs (with rent) / month
Family of 3 costs (no rent) / month
Family of 3 costs (with rent) / month
Mobile download speed (Mbps)
Internet download speed (Mbps)
1
54778
46 $640 $900 $1,524 $1,954
31.86
65.72
2
8000
50 $479 $1,021 $1,377 $2,049
56.44
87.3
3
75079
39 $547 $786 $1,137 $1,704
53.02
111.14
4
21241
42 $514 $852 $1,422 $1,753
192.96
44.47
5
189741
57 $638 $1,107 $1,631 $2,350
106.74
134.51
6
49061
38 $506 $782 $1,089 $1,555
31.1
68.48
7
89627
43 $530 $864 $1,282 $1,785
60.72
100
8
37081
48 $549 $960 $1,727 $2,046
135.42
111.65
9
7200
46 $661 $907 $1,504 $1,927
272.52
139.19
10
59611
41 $572 $826 $1,416 $1,789
308.21
56.61
11
40000
48 $558 $968 $1,509 $1,921
16.51
114.6
12
76587
43 $627 $875 $1,731 $1,958
132.45
104.75
13
49421
36 $583 $719 $1,366 $1,573
10.88
96.68
14
23919
40 $483 $801 $1,220 $1,688
52.05
43.27
15
49032
44 $583 $862 $1,352 $1,764
100.25
140.39
16
47640
41 $478 $800 $1,140 $1,676
57.97
130.8
17
37297
53 $751 $1,071 $1,570 $2,166
34.12
74.73
18
44502
42 $546 $827 $1,420 $1,835
42.73
72.14
19
76739
49 $677 $957 $1,404 $1,967
323.97
106.96
20
78342
44 $501 $896 $1,378 $1,695
55.83
159.86
21
111567
41 $512 $820 $1,158 $1,810
178.06
127.84
22
368983
55 $667 $1,106 $1,673 $2,372
46.16
129.67
23
13919
47 $673 $945 $1,420 $1,974
152.65
93.36
24
15878
45 $482 $887 $1,362 $1,779
45.03
59.83
25
35049
41 $472 $809 $1,478 $1,683
91.14
101
26
159798
47 $656 $940 $1,454 $1,958
54.04
146.6
27
25138
51 $677 $997 $1,438 $2,138
54.29
70.08
28
28058
49 $683 $958 $1,849 $2,114
1.96
83.29
29
85504
44 $671 $899 $1,657 $1,860
27.26
122.89
30
37923
45 $588 $891 $1,408 $1,785
87.21
160.31
31
95806
38 $507 $763 $1,302 $1,646
29.6
99.87
32
30507
38 $462 $762 $1,154 $1,632
282.87
57.44
33
1286383
70 $716 $1,380 $1,818 $2,952
380.58
185.49
34
149266
43 $532 $863 $1,342 $1,787
91.97
81.96
35
-
55 $589 $1,098 $1,533 $2,258
127.07
75.11
36
33000
48 $640 $943 $1,522 $2,005
7.95
106.15
37
39578
43 $493 $865 $1,516 $1,864
107.61
112.12
38
23422
46 $648 $923 $1,431 $1,957
314.94
72.99
39
8000
46 $499 $925 $1,575 $1,913
31.66
90.08
40
348058
61 $703 $1,210 $1,764 $2,469
199.7
158.38
41
71150
48 $614 $967 $1,543 $2,037
139.37
147.91
42
50977
41 $627 $827 $1,341 $1,814
155.38
77.49
43
60877
47 $485 $934 $1,208 $1,899
11.32
100.37
44
76599
42 $624 $833 $1,534 $1,742
141.07
79.05
Bulgaria Median Internet Speeds (Updated January 2026)

Mobile

Download
Mbps
Upload
Mbps
Latency
ms

Fixed Broadband

Download
Mbps
Upload
Mbps
Latency
ms
The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Cost of Living in Bulgaria - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bulgaria a good value for travelers, expats, and digital nomads, and how does it compare to other destinations?
Bulgaria tends to offer a strong value proposition for travelers, expats, and digital nomads. Rents are typically more affordable than in Western Europe, and you can find clean, well-connected neighborhoods outside peak tourist zones at reasonable prices. Food, transit, and services generally stay budget-friendly, with plenty of local options that let you stretch a monthly budget without sacrificing comfort. The Cost of Living in Bulgaria varies by city and neighborhood, but steady infrastructure development supports longer stays and steady wifi in many shared spaces. Seasonal tourism can push prices up briefly in coastal towns, while inland towns stay steadier. Tip: choose neighborhoods with good transit links and short commutes to save time and money.
What does daily life look like in Bulgaria in terms of housing search, food options, transport, and coworking?
Daily life centers on practical choices: search housing near reliable transit, test a few groceries from local markets, and mix work-friendly cafes with occasional coworking spaces. In Sofia, Varna, and Plovdiv you will find affordable transit passes and a growing scene for digital nomads, while smaller towns offer quieter routines and tighter budgets. Bulgaria living cost can shift with the season, especially along the coast when tourism peaks. Tip: look for longer leases to lock in steady monthly rates and negotiate utility inclusions to prevent surprises.
What budgeting framework and neighborhood fit tips help improve quality of life in Bulgaria, including seasonality and safety?
Quality of life in Bulgaria combines vibrant history, friendly neighborhoods, and slower tempos that suit you as a remote worker. Build a simple budgeting framework around housing, groceries, utilities, and local leisure. Expect modest but steady costs that rise with coastal seasons and tourism, so plan a monthly buffer for peak months. For neighborhood fit, look for walkable cores with easy transit access, parks, and nearby markets rather than purely tourist areas. Practical savings come from shared accommodation, cooking at home, and taking advantage of municipal events or free cultural offerings. Tip: create a monthly baseline, then add a seasonal adjustment and a small reserve for unexpected repairs or travel.

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