Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Bulgaria

Name: Bulgaria
Address: BG

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,159 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Bulgaria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Australia and in Bulgaria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,539 per month in Australia vs $1,159 in Bulgaria, rent included.

Australia $2,539
Bulgaria $1,159

A couple spends around $3,716 per month in Australia vs $1,775 in Bulgaria, rent included.

Australia $3,716
Bulgaria $1,775

A family of three spends $4,892 per month in Australia vs $2,390 in Bulgaria, rent included.

Australia $4,892
Bulgaria $2,390

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,635–$3,245) than in Bulgaria ($554–$1,600), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 119% higher than in Bulgaria on average.

Australia sits 87% above the global median, while Bulgaria is 14% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$11.41 BGN 19.86

52.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$45.05 BGN 78.4

87.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$10.38 BGN 18.06

5.78%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$2.58 BGN 4.49

48.84%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$1.62 BGN 2.81

78.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$1.23 BGN 2.14

86.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$2.25 BGN 3.91

246.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$3.34 BGN 5.81

152.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-4.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.18 BGN 2.05

135.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$2.26 BGN 3.93

2.21%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$3.44 BGN 5.98

42.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$10.15 BGN 17.67

-1.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$7.99 BGN 13.91

13.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$13.01 BGN 22.63

14.68%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$1.70 BGN 2.96

114.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$2.01 BGN 3.50

50.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.83 BGN 3.19

77.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$2.67 BGN 4.65

75.66%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$1.06 BGN 1.84

168.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$1.03 BGN 1.79

125.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$1.06 BGN 1.85

129.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.71 BGN 1.24

133.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$3.80 BGN 6.62

912.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$6.68 BGN 11.63

107.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.07 BGN 1.86

355.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$1.76 BGN 3.06

200.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.87 BGN 1.52

211.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$27.69 BGN 48.18

239.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$1.52 BGN 2.64

134.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$0.73 BGN 1.27

123.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$12.25 BGN 21.31

226.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.61 BGN 2.79

-17.39%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

-3.40%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

4.85%

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

$205 A$296

$126 BGN 220

62.77%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$18.70 BGN 32.54

51.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$14.05 BGN 24.44

305.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$33.65 BGN 58.6

64.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$18.06 BGN 31.43

7.75%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$8.53 BGN 14.85

76.55%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$567 BGN 986

269.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$9,482 BGN 16.5K

90.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$58.4 BGN 102

33.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$33.29 BGN 57.9

66.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$90.4 BGN 157

23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$89.7 BGN 156

35.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$478 BGN 832

226.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$364 BGN 633

233.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$781 BGN 1,359

211.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$579 BGN 1,007

232.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$2,178 BGN 3,791

275.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$1,601 BGN 2,785

278.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$1,129 BGN 1,965

257.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

3.16

87.97%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Bulgaria

$364 31.4% 70% $851

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Bulgaria

$244 21% 34.5% $128

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Bulgaria

$183 15.8% 37.9% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Bulgaria

$159 13.7% 45.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Bulgaria

$122 10.6% 26% $43

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Bulgaria

$36 3.1% 68.8% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Bulgaria

$51 4.4% 40.7% $35

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,364 in Australia vs $328 in Bulgaria. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,719 in Canberra and $770 in Sofia.

Average salary: $3,853 in Australia vs $1,044 in Bulgaria. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 316% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 110% more in Australia.

Public transport is 241% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 269% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

11:58 11:58 AM

8 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

6,795,803

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Bulgaria 15,340 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Bulgaria

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

Australia vs Bulgaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bulgaria is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 119% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,364 versus $328 in Bulgaria.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Bulgaria, adding to the overall 119% price gap.

$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Bulgaria, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Bulgaria is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.