Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena, Spain and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,232 a month against $1,425 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,425

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $1,425 per month in Cartagena vs $1,232 in Burgas, rent included.

Cartagena $1,425
Burgas $1,232

A couple spends around $2,101 per month in Cartagena vs $1,825 in Burgas, rent included.

Cartagena $2,101
Burgas $1,825

A family of three spends $2,778 per month in Cartagena vs $2,419 in Burgas, rent included.

Cartagena $2,778
Burgas $2,419

Cartagena costs about 16% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Cartagena sits 5% above the global median, while Burgas is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.40

$13.35 BGN 23.37

3.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 €50.3

$43.72 BGN 76.5

28.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 €7.12

$11.55 BGN 20.21

-31.17%

Cappuccino

$2.47 €2.21

$3.37 BGN 5.90

-26.71%

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

$2.56 €2.30

$1.06 BGN 1.86

141.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.79 BGN 1.38

130.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.06

$2.04 BGN 3.57

67.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 €3.46

$2.78 BGN 4.87

38.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.69 BGN 2.96

-27.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.19 €1.06

$0.99 BGN 1.74

20.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.63 €2.35

$2.01 BGN 3.51

30.85%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.54

$3.23 BGN 5.66

22.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.82 €11.48

$9.86 BGN 17.26

30.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.71 €6.01

$8.81 BGN 15.42

-23.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.75 €16.79

$11.58 BGN 20.26

61.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.34 BGN 4.09

1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.45 €2.19

$2.05 BGN 3.58

19.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 €1.42

$2.05 BGN 3.58

-22.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.20 €2.87

$2.55 BGN 4.47

25.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.67 BGN 2.92

-23.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.42 BGN 2.48

-11.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.93 BGN 1.64

64.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-21.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.71 €5.11

$3.56 BGN 6.23

60.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.30 €5.64

$6.81 BGN 11.92

-7.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$1.03 BGN 1.81

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.05

$1.91 BGN 3.34

-38.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.87 BGN 1.52

70.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.08 €9.93

$33.96 BGN 59.4

-67.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.06

$1.75 BGN 3.07

222.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €2.00

$0.76 BGN 1.33

193.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.72 €24.83

$12.09 BGN 21.16

129.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.67 BGN 2.92

5.99%

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

$34.6K €30.9K

$30.3K BGN 53.0K

13.99%

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

$29.9K €26.7K

$23.5K BGN 41.2K

26.88%

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

$211 €189

$103 BGN 180

104.69%

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

$19.43 €17.40

$14.39 BGN 25.18

35.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.27 €26.21

$11.76 BGN 20.59

148.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.23 €36.92

$37.79 BGN 66.1

9.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.81 €11.47

$14.31 BGN 25.04

-10.48%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 €6.91

$8.74 BGN 15.29

-11.67%

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

$406 €364

$230 BGN 402

76.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,651 €2,374

$14.7K BGN 25.7K

-81.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.46 €41.61

$58.0 BGN 102

-19.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.88 €31.24

$29.82 BGN 52.2

16.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 €54.2

$70.8 BGN 124

-14.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €90.5

$74.7 BGN 131

35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 €534

$569 BGN 995

4.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$490 €439

$448 BGN 784

9.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 €781

$803 BGN 1,404

8.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$720 €644

$612 BGN 1,072

17.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,737 €1,556

$2,581 BGN 4,516

-32.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,427 €1,278

$1,888 BGN 3,304

-24.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 €1,526

$1,002 BGN 1,754

70.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.25

24.92%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$490 34.4%

Burgas

$448 36.4% 8.5% $42

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$269 18.9%

Burgas

$246 20% 8.7% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$260 18.2%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 50.2% $131

Eating Out

Cartagena

$207 14.5%

Burgas

$205 16.7% 0.7% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$109 7.7%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 3.9% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Burgas

$55 4.5% 2.5% $1.4

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Burgas

$43 3.5% 27.3% $9.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $596 in Cartagena versus $569 in Burgas. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 70% higher in Cartagena. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56 in Cartagena versus $44 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $246 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

09:57 9:57 AM

10:57 10:57 AM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

189,741

💱 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

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Between locations

Cartagena Burgas 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Burgas

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

Cartagena vs Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,425 in Cartagena, $1,232 in Burgas – Burgas comes out roughly 14% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,137 per month in Cartagena and $1,847 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $596 in Cartagena and $569 in Burgas. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Public transport costs about 67% less in Cartagena. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $406 per month in Cartagena and $230 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,425 in Cartagena and $1,232 in Burgas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Burgas – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Burgas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cartagena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.