Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living is cheaper in China: $800 a month against $1,159 in Bulgaria, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
Learn more

China Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,159

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$800

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bulgaria and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,159 in Bulgaria versus $800 in China.

Bulgaria $1,159
China $800

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,775 in Bulgaria versus $1,266 in China.

Bulgaria $1,775
China $1,266

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,390 in Bulgaria versus $1,731 in China.

Bulgaria $2,390
China $1,731

Internal cost variation is higher in Bulgaria: monthly costs span $554 to $1,600, compared to $462–$1,256 in China. City choice carries more weight in Bulgaria.

Living in Bulgaria is roughly 45% more expensive than in China on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Bulgaria 14% lower, China 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.41 BGN 19.86

$2.92 ¥19.50

290.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.05 BGN 78.4

$22.45 ¥150

100.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.38 BGN 18.06

$5.33 ¥35.65

94.75%

Cappuccino

$2.58 BGN 4.49

$3.04 ¥20.34

-15.13%

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

$1.62 BGN 2.81

$0.48 ¥3.23

237.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 BGN 2.14

$0.30 ¥2.02

310.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 BGN 3.91

$1.07 ¥7.12

110.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.34 BGN 5.81

$2.26 ¥15.11

47.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.75 ¥11.70

4.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.62 ¥10.80

-27.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BGN 3.93

$0.99 ¥6.63

128.28%

Eggs

$3.44 BGN 5.98

$1.56 ¥10.44

120.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.15 BGN 17.67

$13.25 ¥88.6

-23.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.99 BGN 13.91

$3.37 ¥22.50

137.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.01 BGN 22.63

$11.39 ¥76.2

14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$1.82 ¥12.19

-6.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$1.25 ¥8.34

60.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$1.55 ¥10.39

18.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.67 BGN 4.65

$1.28 ¥8.55

108.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.84

$0.71 ¥4.72

49.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$0.86 ¥5.75

19.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$0.65 ¥4.36

63.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.59 ¥3.97

20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.80 BGN 6.62

$3.76 ¥25.14

1.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.68 BGN 11.63

$11.76 ¥78.6

-43.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$0.91 ¥6.11

17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 BGN 3.06

$1.62 ¥10.86

8.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.31 ¥2.10

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.69 BGN 48.18

$22.75 ¥152

21.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 BGN 2.64

$1.52 ¥10.17

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 BGN 1.27

$0.37 ¥2.50

97.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.25 BGN 21.31

$7.28 ¥48.66

68.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.79

$1.25 ¥8.38

28.80%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

$19.4K ¥129.7K

55.47%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

$17.1K ¥114.4K

43.33%

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

$126 BGN 220

$55.5 ¥371

127.37%

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

$18.70 BGN 32.54

$8.29 ¥55.4

125.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.05 BGN 24.44

$10.97 ¥73.3

28.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.65 BGN 58.6

$40.38 ¥270

-16.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 BGN 31.43

$14.76 ¥98.7

22.36%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 BGN 14.85

$6.76 ¥45.18

26.18%

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

$567 BGN 986

$465 ¥3,108

21.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,482 BGN 16.5K

$19.6K ¥131.2K

-51.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 BGN 102

$46.32 ¥310

26.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.29 BGN 57.9

$36.30 ¥243

-8.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 BGN 157

$76.3 ¥510

18.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 BGN 156

$78.8 ¥527

13.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 BGN 832

$396 ¥2,646

20.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 633

$240 ¥1,604

51.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$781 BGN 1,359

$822 ¥5,499

-5.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$579 BGN 1,007

$466 ¥3,116

24.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,178 BGN 3,791

$4,544 ¥30.4K

-52.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,601 BGN 2,785

$2,282 ¥15.3K

-29.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,129 BGN 1,965

$1,075 ¥7,188

5.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

3.46

-8.67%

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

Last update for Bulgaria: October 17, 2026

Last update for China: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bulgaria

$364 31.4%

China

$240 30% 34.1% $124

Groceries & Markets

Bulgaria

$244 21%

China

$209 26.1% 14.4% $35

Eating Out

Bulgaria

$183 15.8%

China

$89 11.1% 51.4% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulgaria

$159 13.7%

China

$75 9.3% 53% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Bulgaria

$122 10.6%

China

$107 13.4% 12.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bulgaria

$51 4.4%

China

$54 6.7% 6.3% $3.2

Getting Around

Bulgaria

$36 3.1%

China

$27 3.4% 24.6% $9

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $328 in Bulgaria, $299 in China. Capital cities: $770 in Sofia vs $945 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $1,044 in Bulgaria, $870 in China. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 10% higher in Bulgaria.

Dining out costs 86% more in Bulgaria.

Public transport is 29% more expensive in Bulgaria.

Salaries are 20% higher in Bulgaria, and purchasing power comes out stronger in China.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🇨🇳 China

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

18:35 6:35 PM

5 h ahead of Bulgaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,795,803

1,442,965,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Between locations

Bulgaria China 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulgaria
China

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

Bulgaria vs China: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,159 per month in Bulgaria and $800 in China, there's a 45% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in China: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $328 in Bulgaria and $299 in China. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In China, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Bulgaria it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: China wins on affordability; Bulgaria may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.