Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $18,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
Learn more

Barcelona Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
Learn more

Stara Zagora Living Index

Jump to prices

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Stara Zagora

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,453 in Barcelona versus $908 in Stara Zagora.

Barcelona $2,453
Stara Zagora $908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,509 in Barcelona versus $1,415 in Stara Zagora.

Barcelona $3,509
Stara Zagora $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,564 in Barcelona versus $1,921 in Stara Zagora.

Barcelona $4,564
Stara Zagora $1,921

Living in Barcelona is roughly 170% more expensive than in Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Barcelona is 80% above, Stara Zagora is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 €15.76

$10.38 BGN 18.16

69.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 €60.5

$51.7 BGN 90.5

30.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.53 €12.12

$9.15 BGN 16.02

47.87%

Cappuccino

$3.19 €2.86

$2.34 BGN 4.09

36.32%

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

$2.91 €2.61

$1.50 BGN 2.62

94.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 €1.70

$0.87 BGN 1.52

117.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 €3.59

$2.21 BGN 3.87

81.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 €4.06

$2.03 BGN 3.56

123.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.02 €1.81

$0.86 BGN 1.51

134.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.45 BGN 2.54

27.59%

Eggs

$4.83 €4.33

$2.36 BGN 4.12

104.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.74 €15.00

$9.38 BGN 16.42

78.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.12 €8.17

$6.39 BGN 11.18

42.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.64 €17.60

$8.59 BGN 15.03

128.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.67

$1.25 BGN 2.19

138.40%

Banana (1kg)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.70 BGN 2.98

18.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.76 BGN 3.08

53.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$1.93 BGN 3.38

45.08%

Potato (1kg)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.00 BGN 1.74

109.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.72 BGN 1.26

187.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.46 €1.31

$0.55 BGN 0.97

165.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.63 BGN 1.10

49.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.87 €6.16

$3.64 BGN 6.38

88.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.89 €7.07

$5.25 BGN 9.18

50.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.09 BGN 1.91

29.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.27

$1.73 BGN 3.03

46.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.82

$0.85 BGN 1.49

269.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.45 €22.80

$20.45 BGN 35.79

24.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.99 €2.68

$1.29 BGN 2.26

131.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.34

$0.64 BGN 1.13

132.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.37 €29.91

$11.40 BGN 19.95

192.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.57 BGN 2.75

14.65%

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

$33.2K €29.7K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

11.65%

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

$31.7K €28.4K

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

35.03%

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

$180 €162

$91.4 BGN 160

97.47%

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

$13.84 €12.40

$14.59 BGN 25.53

-5.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.70 €30.20

$12.26 BGN 21.46

174.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €46.16

$33.21 BGN 58.1

55.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.30

$21.06 BGN 36.86

-24.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.99 €9.85

$8.89 BGN 15.55

23.62%

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

$917 €821

$227 BGN 398

302.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.8K

$2,270 BGN 3,972

626.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 €78.0

$30.35 BGN 53.1

186.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.51 €34.51

$19.39 BGN 33.93

98.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$64.0 BGN 112

65.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 €107

$51.9 BGN 90.8

130.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,699 €1,523

$330 BGN 577

415.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 €1,214

$279 BGN 489

385.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,603 €2,332

$498 BGN 871

422.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,062 €1,848

$399 BGN 699

416.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,915 €6,196

$1,506 BGN 2,635

359.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,128 €4,595

$1,109 BGN 1,941

362.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,211 €1,981

$1,067 BGN 1,867

107.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.99

9.70%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3%

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8% 79.4% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$322 13.1%

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3% 39.8% $128

Eating Out

Barcelona

$268 10.9%

Stara Zagora

$163 18% 39.1% $105

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$228 9.3%

Stara Zagora

$118 13% 48.1% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.4%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 52.8% $83

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$74 3%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 30.6% $23

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1% 41.5% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,699 in Barcelona and $330 in Stara Zagora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays about 2.1 times 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: $67 in Barcelona vs $52 in Stara Zagora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $322 vs $194 per month, with Stara Zagora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

149,266

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Stara Zagora 1,940 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Stara Zagora

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

Barcelona vs Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,453 in Barcelona and $908 in Stara Zagora, so Stara Zagora is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Barcelona is about 2.1 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,699 in Barcelona versus $330 in Stara Zagora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $917 in Barcelona versus $227 in Stara Zagora. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 66% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $908 in Stara Zagora versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Stara Zagora but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Stara Zagora the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Barcelona and Stara Zagora are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Stara Zagora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.