Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Germany and Bulgaria

Name: Bulgaria
Address: BG

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,159 a month against $2,065 in Germany, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Germany
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Germany Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index

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🇩🇪 Germany

$2,065

/mo nomad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Germany and in Bulgaria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,065 in Germany versus $1,159 in Bulgaria.

Germany $2,065
Bulgaria $1,159

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,136 in Germany versus $1,775 in Bulgaria.

Germany $3,136
Bulgaria $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,208 in Germany versus $2,390 in Bulgaria.

Germany $4,208
Bulgaria $2,390

Germany ($1,345–$2,663) and Bulgaria ($554–$1,600) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Germany is roughly 78% more expensive than in Bulgaria on average.

Germany (52% above) and Bulgaria (14% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.61 €14.77

$11.41 BGN 19.86

45.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.4 €64.4

$45.05 BGN 78.4

60.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.15 €10.81

$10.38 BGN 18.06

17.05%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.52

$2.58 BGN 4.49

53.49%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.62 BGN 2.81

112.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 €2.72

$1.23 BGN 2.14

148.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.19 €4.62

$2.25 BGN 3.91

130.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.59 €4.08

$3.34 BGN 5.81

37.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.13

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-30.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.18 BGN 2.05

80.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.56 €3.17

$2.26 BGN 3.93

57.52%

Eggs

$3.79 €3.37

$3.44 BGN 5.98

10.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.65 €13.03

$10.15 BGN 17.67

44.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.78 €10.48

$7.99 BGN 13.91

47.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.78 €18.48

$13.01 BGN 22.63

59.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 €2.82

$1.70 BGN 2.96

86.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.21 €1.96

$1.83 BGN 3.19

20.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.28 €3.81

$2.67 BGN 4.65

60.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.06 BGN 1.84

36.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 €1.33

$1.03 BGN 1.79

44.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.67 €1.49

$1.06 BGN 1.85

57.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 €0.95

$0.71 BGN 1.24

50.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.90 €8.81

$3.80 BGN 6.62

160.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.56 €5.83

$6.68 BGN 11.63

-1.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.07 BGN 1.86

1.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.76 BGN 3.06

-9.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.84 €3.42

$0.87 BGN 1.52

341.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 €63.1

$27.69 BGN 48.18

156.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.52 €4.91

$1.52 BGN 2.64

263.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.74 €2.44

$0.73 BGN 1.27

275.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.54 €34.28

$12.25 BGN 21.31

214.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.11 €1.87

$1.61 BGN 2.79

31.06%

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

$33.0K €29.3K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

9.35%

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

$38.7K €34.4K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

57.90%

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

$338 €301

$126 BGN 220

168.04%

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

$24.76 €22.02

$18.70 BGN 32.54

32.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.37 €42.13

$14.05 BGN 24.44

237.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.14 €36.59

$33.65 BGN 58.6

22.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.41 €24.38

$18.06 BGN 31.43

51.77%

Cinema Ticket

$14.31 €12.73

$8.53 BGN 14.85

67.76%

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

$573 €510

$567 BGN 986

1.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.6K

$9,482 BGN 16.5K

85.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.1 €79.3

$58.4 BGN 102

52.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.77 €38.04

$33.29 BGN 57.9

28.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.5 €88.5

$90.4 BGN 157

10.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$89.7 BGN 156

47.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$478 BGN 832

87.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$703 €625

$364 BGN 633

93.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,675 €1,490

$781 BGN 1,359

114.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,314 €1,169

$579 BGN 1,007

127.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,163 €5,482

$2,178 BGN 3,791

182.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,027 €3,582

$1,601 BGN 2,785

151.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,219 €2,864

$1,129 BGN 1,965

185.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.96

3.16

25.32%

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

Last update for Germany: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Germany

$703 34%

Bulgaria

$364 31.4% 48.2% $339

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Germany

$410 19.9%

Bulgaria

$159 13.7% 61.3% $251

Groceries & Markets

Germany

$335 16.2%

Bulgaria

$244 21% 27.2% $91

Eating Out

Germany

$278 13.5%

Bulgaria

$183 15.8% 34.3% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Germany

$163 7.9%

Bulgaria

$122 10.6% 25.2% $41

Getting Around

Germany

$105 5.1%

Bulgaria

$36 3.1% 65.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Germany

$70 3.4%

Bulgaria

$51 4.4% 27.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $800 in Germany, $328 in Bulgaria. Capital cities: $1,398 in Berlin vs $770 in Sofia.

National salary averages: $3,119 in Germany, $1,044 in Bulgaria. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 144% higher in Germany.

Dining out costs 82% more in Germany.

Public transport is 200% more expensive in Germany.

Salaries are 199% higher in Germany, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Germany.

Good to know

🇩🇪 Germany

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🕒 Local time

02:29 2:29 AM

03:29 3:29 AM

1 h ahead of Germany

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

84,358,845

6,795,803

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Germany Bulgaria 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Germany
Bulgaria

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

Germany vs Bulgaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,159 per month in Bulgaria and $2,065 in Germany, there's a 78% 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 Bulgaria: 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 $800 in Germany and $328 in Bulgaria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Bulgaria, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Germany 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: Bulgaria wins on affordability; Germany may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.