Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,158 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,158

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Bulgaria is 40.2% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 59.4% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Bulgaria is 35.6% cheaper than Dubai without rent, and 58.2% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 BGN 20.06

$13.04 AED 47.89

-12.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.27 BGN 79.2

$81.4 AED 299

-44.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.46 BGN 18.30

$9.32 AED 34.25

12.23%

Cappuccino

$2.50 BGN 4.37

$5.97 AED 21.93

-58.12%

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

$1.63 BGN 2.85

$1.63 AED 5.98

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$0.81 AED 2.99

53.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 BGN 3.96

$13.65 AED 50.1

-83.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$13.38 AED 49.15

-74.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 BGN 3.26

$1.81 AED 6.64

2.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 BGN 1.95

$1.57 AED 5.78

-29.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 BGN 4.01

$2.49 AED 9.16

-8.03%

Eggs

$3.57 BGN 6.25

$3.28 AED 12.04

8.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.41 BGN 18.21

$12.67 AED 46.53

-17.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.75 BGN 13.56

$9.75 AED 35.80

-20.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.23 BGN 23.15

$13.18 AED 48.40

0.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.61 AED 9.57

-34.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.51

$1.93 AED 7.09

4.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.32

$1.92 AED 7.05

-1.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 BGN 4.77

$1.36 AED 5.00

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.17 AED 4.29

-5.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.86

$1.01 AED 3.71

4.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.86

$1.51 AED 5.56

-29.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$0.62 AED 2.29

20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.94 BGN 6.89

$5.85 AED 21.50

-32.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 BGN 12.12

$16.14 AED 59.3

-57.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$2.65 AED 9.74

-59.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$2.95 AED 10.82

-42.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.64 AED 6.03

-45.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.55 BGN 49.96

$73.6 AED 270

-61.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$3.17 AED 11.66

-53.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$0.71 AED 2.63

1.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.22 BGN 21.39

$7.96 AED 29.23

53.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.83

$0.99 AED 3.64

62.63%

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

$30.6K BGN 53.5K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

11.74%

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

$24.9K BGN 43.6K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

10.47%

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

$127 BGN 222

$250 AED 920

-49.38%

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

$18.66 BGN 32.66

$54.2 AED 199

-65.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.78 BGN 24.12

$91.8 AED 337

-84.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.58 BGN 60.5

$98.6 AED 362

-64.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.25 BGN 31.94

$42.61 AED 156

-57.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.40 BGN 14.70

$16.03 AED 58.9

-47.60%

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

$551 BGN 964

$843 AED 3,098

-34.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,645 BGN 16.9K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-47.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.9 BGN 101

$68.0 AED 250

-14.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.45 BGN 58.5

$57.9 AED 213

-42.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 BGN 155

$101 AED 370

-11.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 BGN 155

$101 AED 371

-12.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$470 BGN 823

$2,380 AED 8,741

-80.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$363 BGN 634

$1,506 AED 5,531

-75.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 BGN 1,413

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-81.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$581 BGN 1,017

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-80.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,326 BGN 4,071

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-67.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,611 BGN 2,819

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-61.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,160 BGN 2,030

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-65.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.12

4.54

-31.28%

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

Last update for Bulgaria: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bulgaria

$363 31.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 315% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Bulgaria

$246 21.2%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 19% $47

Eating Out

Bulgaria

$183 15.8%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 68.9% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulgaria

$159 13.7%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 149% $237

Clothing & Footwear

Bulgaria

$121 10.4%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 21.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bulgaria

$51 4.4%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 154% $79

Getting Around

Bulgaria

$37 3.2%

Dubai

$87 3% 134% $50

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:13 1:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

1 h ahead of Bulgaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,795,803

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bulgaria Dubai 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bulgaria
Dubai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Dubai

AED, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Bulgaria

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Bulgaria

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