Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barcelona and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $2,405 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $11,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,405

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Barcelona and in Varna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,405 in Barcelona versus $1,411 in Varna.

Barcelona $2,405
Varna $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,477 in Barcelona versus $2,231 in Varna.

Barcelona $3,477
Varna $2,231

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,550 in Barcelona versus $3,050 in Varna.

Barcelona $4,550
Varna $3,050

Living in Barcelona is roughly 70% more expensive than in Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Barcelona 79% above, Varna 5% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.98 €16.05

$12.63 BGN 22.11

42.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.2

$60.3 BGN 106

11.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.37 €11.93

$10.49 BGN 18.36

27.45%

Cappuccino

$3.34 €2.98

$2.93 BGN 5.12

13.99%

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

$2.95 €2.64

$1.95 BGN 3.42

51.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.60 BGN 2.79

18.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.88 €3.46

$2.90 BGN 5.07

33.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.08

$3.55 BGN 6.21

28.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.98 BGN 3.46

-35.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.96 €1.75

$1.24 BGN 2.18

58.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 €1.56

$2.67 BGN 4.68

-34.46%

Eggs

$4.89 €4.36

$3.46 BGN 6.06

41.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.47 €15.59

$11.47 BGN 20.08

52.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 €8.09

$9.37 BGN 16.40

-3.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.18 €18.01

$13.95 BGN 24.41

44.66%

Apples (1kg)

$3.08 €2.75

$1.93 BGN 3.39

59.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 €1.81

$2.09 BGN 3.66

-2.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.32

$2.14 BGN 3.75

21.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.71 €2.42

$2.87 BGN 5.03

-5.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.15 €1.92

$1.26 BGN 2.21

70.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.04 BGN 1.81

112.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.05 BGN 1.85

46.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 €0.83

$0.78 BGN 1.36

19.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.09 €6.32

$3.92 BGN 6.86

80.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.63 €6.81

$8.58 BGN 15.01

-11.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.21 BGN 2.12

23.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.90 BGN 3.32

43.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.63

$0.93 BGN 1.63

217.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.91 €23.13

$29.12 BGN 51.0

-11.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 €2.80

$1.54 BGN 2.70

103.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 €1.29

$0.85 BGN 1.49

70.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.17 €30.49

$12.18 BGN 21.32

180.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.75 BGN 3.06

2.29%

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

$34.7K €31.0K

$29.6K BGN 51.8K

17.13%

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

$30.3K €27.0K

$25.9K BGN 45.2K

17.18%

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

$181 €161

$173 BGN 302

4.54%

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

$13.56 €12.10

$21.09 BGN 36.91

-35.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.12 €31.34

$16.09 BGN 28.17

118.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.2 €47.44

$51.4 BGN 89.9

3.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.05 €14.33

$19.87 BGN 34.78

-19.22%

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 €10.14

$8.75 BGN 15.31

29.94%

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

$939 €838

$508 BGN 890

84.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$6,188 BGN 10.8K

166.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.2 €78.7

$65.1 BGN 114

35.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.77 €35.49

$33.76 BGN 59.1

17.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$98.3 BGN 172

5.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €107

$101 BGN 177

17.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,695 €1,513

$636 BGN 1,112

166.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,301 €1,161

$471 BGN 825

175.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,576 €2,299

$1,348 BGN 2,358

91.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,941 €1,732

$918 BGN 1,606

111.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,470 €6,666

$3,051 BGN 5,339

144.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,195 €4,636

$2,166 BGN 3,791

139.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,299 €2,052

$1,263 BGN 2,211

82.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.28

2.85

15.09%

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

Last update for Barcelona: October 4, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barcelona

$1.3K 54%

Varna

$471 33.7% 63.8% $829

Groceries & Markets

Barcelona

$325 13.5%

Varna

$271 19.4% 16.5% $53

Eating Out

Barcelona

$272 11.3%

Varna

$203 14.6% 25.2% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barcelona

$229 9.5%

Varna

$210 15% 8.4% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Barcelona

$158 6.6%

Varna

$134 9.6% 14.9% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Barcelona

$76 3.2%

Varna

$69 4.9% 9.2% $7

Getting Around

Barcelona

$48 2%

Varna

$39 2.8% 19.6% $9.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,695 in Barcelona and $636 in Varna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 82% 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: $67.0 in Barcelona vs $60.0 in Varna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $325 vs $271 per month, with Varna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

13:10 1:10 PM

1 h ahead of Barcelona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,660,122

348,058

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Barcelona Varna 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Barcelona
Varna

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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barcelona and Varna differ by about 70% in total monthly costs ($2,405 vs $1,411 including rent). Varna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 82% higher in Barcelona, 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: $1,695 in Barcelona versus $636 in Varna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $939 in Barcelona versus $508 in Varna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,411 in Varna versus $2,405 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varna but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Varna 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 Varna 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 Varna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 70% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.