Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haskovo and Shanghai

For one person, living is cheaper in Haskovo: $858 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Haskovo
Learn more

Haskovo Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
Learn more

Shanghai Living Index

Jump to prices

Haskovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$858

/mo nomad

Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Haskovo and in Shanghai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $858 in Haskovo versus $1,222 in Shanghai.

Haskovo $858
Shanghai $1,222

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,400 in Haskovo versus $1,971 in Shanghai.

Haskovo $1,400
Shanghai $1,971

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,942 in Haskovo versus $2,720 in Shanghai.

Haskovo $1,942
Shanghai $2,720

Living in Haskovo costs roughly 30% less than in Shanghai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Haskovo 37% lower, Shanghai 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.53 BGN 16.76

$4.53 ¥30.11

110.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.57 BGN 80.2

$30.16 ¥201

51.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.80 BGN 17.25

$5.11 ¥34.04

91.78%

Cappuccino

$2.02 BGN 3.56

$3.41 ¥22.70

-40.76%

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

$1.23 BGN 2.16

$0.58 ¥3.85

112.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 BGN 1.81

$0.35 ¥2.36

194.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.27 BGN 2.24

$1.23 ¥8.22

3.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 BGN 7.84

$2.31 ¥15.37

92.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.78

$1.88 ¥12.52

-15.96%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 BGN 1.21

$1.94 ¥12.88

-64.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.90

$0.98 ¥6.52

68.37%

Eggs

$3.21 BGN 5.65

$1.70 ¥11.31

88.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.80 BGN 20.77

$17.02 ¥113

-30.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.37 BGN 12.96

$3.22 ¥21.41

128.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.27 BGN 14.56

$12.93 ¥86.0

-36.04%

Apples (1kg)

$1.55 BGN 2.73

$2.15 ¥14.31

-27.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.32

$1.73 ¥11.48

9.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 BGN 2.61

$2.03 ¥13.51

-27.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 BGN 3.26

$1.73 ¥11.54

6.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 BGN 1.35

$0.83 ¥5.51

-7.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.90 BGN 1.59

$0.92 ¥6.13

-2.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 BGN 1.40

$0.67 ¥4.48

17.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 BGN 1.21

$0.59 ¥3.92

16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 BGN 7.29

$3.77 ¥25.10

9.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.76 BGN 13.65

$11.03 ¥73.4

-29.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.38

$0.90 ¥6.00

-13.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.98

$1.60 ¥10.67

5.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.57 ¥3.81

24.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.32 BGN 41.05

$29.62 ¥197

-21.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$2.14 ¥14.25

-45.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.47 ¥3.10

53.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.30 BGN 23.40

$8.74 ¥58.2

52.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.61 BGN 2.84

$1.34 ¥8.93

20.15%

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

$30.4K BGN 53.5K

$19.3K ¥128.1K

57.94%

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

$23.1K BGN 40.6K

$18.3K ¥121.7K

26.16%

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

$92.6 BGN 163

$58.9 ¥392

57.28%

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

$13.08 BGN 23.02

$7.90 ¥52.5

65.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.46 BGN 16.65

$10.60 ¥70.5

-10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 BGN 95.2

$64.8 ¥431

-16.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.93 BGN 50.9

$17.47 ¥116

65.60%

Cinema Ticket

$8.12 BGN 14.30

$9.06 ¥60.3

-10.38%

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

$798 BGN 1,404

$1,587 ¥10.6K

-49.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,289 BGN 4,029

$28.2K ¥187.9K

-91.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 BGN 81.2

$54.6 ¥363

-15.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.43 BGN 71.2

$37.21 ¥248

8.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.0 BGN 135

$74.6 ¥496

3.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.2 BGN 146

$106 ¥707

-21.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 BGN 405

$1,026 ¥6,826

-77.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$164 BGN 289

$559 ¥3,722

-70.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 BGN 649

$2,618 ¥17.4K

-85.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 BGN 526

$1,191 ¥7,926

-74.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,200 BGN 2,111

$13.4K ¥89.0K

-91.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$966 BGN 1,701

$6,527 ¥43.4K

-85.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,098 BGN 1,932

$1,712 ¥11.4K

-35.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

3.36

-13.99%

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

Last update for Haskovo: October 25, 2026

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Haskovo

$212 24.7%

Shanghai

$237 19.4% 11.7% $25

Accommodation & Living

Haskovo

$164 19.2%

Shanghai

$559 45.8% 241% $395

Eating Out

Haskovo

$154 18%

Shanghai

$107 8.8% 30.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haskovo

$115 13.4%

Shanghai

$77 6.3% 32.8% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Haskovo

$111 13%

Shanghai

$123 10% 10.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Haskovo

$70 8.2%

Shanghai

$83 6.8% 17.9% $13

Getting Around

Haskovo

$31 3.6%

Shanghai

$36 3% 17.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $230 in Haskovo and $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Shanghai pays 56% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $46 in Haskovo vs $30 in Shanghai. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $237, with Haskovo cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Haskovo

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🕒 Local time

03:56 3:56 AM

09:56 9:56 AM

6 h ahead of Haskovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,587

24,870,895

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 6.65 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.41 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Haskovo Shanghai 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Haskovo
Shanghai

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

Haskovo vs Shanghai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haskovo wins on cost – living expenses run 30% lower than in Shanghai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Haskovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Haskovo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $230 in Haskovo versus $1,026 in Shanghai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Shanghai – a meal for two runs $30 versus $46 in Haskovo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Haskovo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Haskovo wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.