Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $1,427 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
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Cartagena Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index

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Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cartagena and in Plovdiv

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,427 in Cartagena versus $1,194 in Plovdiv.

Cartagena $1,427
Plovdiv $1,194

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,095 in Cartagena versus $1,842 in Plovdiv.

Cartagena $2,095
Plovdiv $1,842

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,762 in Cartagena versus $2,489 in Plovdiv.

Cartagena $2,762
Plovdiv $2,489

Living in Cartagena is roughly 20% more expensive than in Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cartagena is 6% above, Plovdiv is 12% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.84 €12.31

$9.28 BGN 16.15

49.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.0 €48.90

$44.41 BGN 77.3

23.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.60 €6.76

$9.74 BGN 16.95

-21.97%

Cappuccino

$2.56 €2.27

$2.87 BGN 4.99

-10.80%

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

$2.45 €2.18

$1.73 BGN 3.02

41.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$1.51 BGN 2.63

21.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.43 €3.05

$2.54 BGN 4.42

35.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 €3.54

$4.24 BGN 7.38

-6.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.07

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-31.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 €1.05

$1.18 BGN 2.05

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 €2.26

$2.17 BGN 3.78

17.51%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.52

$3.76 BGN 6.53

5.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.48

$11.63 BGN 20.24

11.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.94 €6.18

$8.43 BGN 14.67

-17.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.67 €16.60

$14.18 BGN 24.67

31.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.64 BGN 2.85

45.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.80 BGN 3.12

40.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-18.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.09 €2.75

$2.55 BGN 4.44

21.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.08 BGN 1.87

15.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 €1.10

$1.05 BGN 1.83

18.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.21 BGN 2.11

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 €0.62

$0.72 BGN 1.25

-4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.64 €5.02

$4.02 BGN 7.00

40.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.24 €5.55

$6.11 BGN 10.63

2.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.13 BGN 1.97

10.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 €1.00

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-45.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.55 BGN 0.96

160.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.14 €9.91

$28.22 BGN 49.10

-60.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.50 €4.90

$1.28 BGN 2.22

329.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.60 BGN 1.05

275.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.49 €24.45

$10.34 BGN 18.00

165.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.74 BGN 3.03

1.72%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

15.75%

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

$30.2K €26.8K

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

23.76%

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

$210 €187

$112 BGN 195

87.29%

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

$19.74 €17.56

$18.46 BGN 32.12

6.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.70 €25.53

$15.48 BGN 26.94

85.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$41.07 BGN 71.5

0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.80 €11.39

$20.27 BGN 35.26

-36.85%

Cinema Ticket

$7.70 €6.85

$9.04 BGN 15.73

-14.82%

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

$416 €370

$522 BGN 907

-20.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,726 €2,425

$5,424 BGN 9,438

-49.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.17 €41.96

$69.1 BGN 120

-31.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.38 €31.47

$41.56 BGN 72.3

-14.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.1 €54.3

$95.5 BGN 166

-36.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 €89.7

$105 BGN 182

-3.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$537 BGN 935

9.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 €438

$389 BGN 677

26.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$836 €743

$871 BGN 1,516

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 €630

$642 BGN 1,117

10.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,770 €1,574

$2,230 BGN 3,880

-20.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,433 €1,275

$1,548 BGN 2,693

-7.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,720 €1,530

$1,156 BGN 2,012

48.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

3.1

30.97%

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

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cartagena

$492 34.5%

Plovdiv

$389 32.6% 21% $103

Groceries & Markets

Cartagena

$270 18.9%

Plovdiv

$253 21.2% 6.3% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cartagena

$258 18.1%

Plovdiv

$146 12.2% 43.5% $112

Eating Out

Cartagena

$206 14.5%

Plovdiv

$172 14.4% 16.7% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Cartagena

$110 7.7%

Plovdiv

$140 11.7% 27.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Cartagena

$57 4%

Plovdiv

$59 5% 4.6% $2.6

Getting Around

Cartagena

$34 2.4%

Plovdiv

$35 2.9% 3.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $591 in Cartagena and $537 in Plovdiv. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 49% 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: $55.0 in Cartagena vs $44.00 in Plovdiv for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $270 vs $253 per month, with Plovdiv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

02:34 2:34 AM

1 h ahead of Cartagena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

218,050

368,983

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Cartagena Plovdiv 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cartagena
Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plovdiv wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Cartagena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Plovdiv the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 49% higher in Cartagena, 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: $591 in Cartagena versus $537 in Plovdiv. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Plovdiv – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $55.0 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,427 per month in Cartagena versus $1,194 in Plovdiv – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,194 in Plovdiv versus $1,427 in Cartagena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Plovdiv but tight or insufficient in Cartagena. The gap between the two cities makes Plovdiv the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Plovdiv delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,194 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Plovdiv hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Cartagena and Plovdiv 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 Plovdiv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cartagena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.