Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Bulgaria

Name: Bulgaria
Address: BG

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,159 a month against $1,825 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Italy
Learn more

Italy Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
Learn more

Bulgaria Living Index

Jump to prices

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,825

/mo nomad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in Bulgaria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,825 in Italy versus $1,159 in Bulgaria.

Italy $1,825
Bulgaria $1,159

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,790 in Italy versus $1,775 in Bulgaria.

Italy $2,790
Bulgaria $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,756 in Italy versus $2,390 in Bulgaria.

Italy $3,756
Bulgaria $2,390

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,044 to $2,560, compared to $554–$1,600 in Bulgaria. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bulgaria on average.

Italy (35% above) and Bulgaria (14% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 €17.70

$11.41 BGN 19.86

74.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 €68.6

$45.05 BGN 78.4

71.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €10.15

$10.38 BGN 18.06

9.92%

Cappuccino

$2.01 €1.78

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-22.09%

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

$3.13 €2.78

$1.62 BGN 2.81

93.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.24

$1.23 BGN 2.14

13.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.12

$2.25 BGN 3.91

156.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.10

$3.34 BGN 5.81

71.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 €1.44

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-11.48%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.18 BGN 2.05

101.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.92 €2.60

$2.26 BGN 3.93

29.20%

Eggs

$4.17 €3.70

$3.44 BGN 5.98

21.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.28 €15.37

$10.15 BGN 17.67

70.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.32

$7.99 BGN 13.91

59.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.39 €18.13

$13.01 BGN 22.63

56.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.70 BGN 2.96

53.53%

Banana (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$2.01 BGN 3.50

5.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$1.83 BGN 3.19

43.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 €2.97

$2.67 BGN 4.65

25.09%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.79

$1.06 BGN 1.84

90.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.69

$1.03 BGN 1.79

83.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.06 BGN 1.85

47.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.71 BGN 1.24

-22.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.84 €6.08

$3.80 BGN 6.62

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.64 €6.80

$6.68 BGN 11.63

14.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.07 BGN 1.86

68.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.14

$1.76 BGN 3.06

36.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.87 BGN 1.52

113.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.27 €38.49

$27.69 BGN 48.18

56.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.64 €5.01

$1.52 BGN 2.64

271.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.73 BGN 1.27

134.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.04 €29.39

$12.25 BGN 21.31

169.71%

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)

$35.8K €31.8K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

18.58%

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

$37.4K €33.3K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

52.40%

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

$230 €204

$126 BGN 220

82.03%

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

$11.60 €10.32

$18.70 BGN 32.54

-37.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.40 €27.04

$14.05 BGN 24.44

116.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 €47.96

$33.65 BGN 58.6

60.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.24 €21.56

$18.06 BGN 31.43

34.22%

Cinema Ticket

$10.58 €9.41

$8.53 BGN 14.85

24.03%

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

$545 €485

$567 BGN 986

-3.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$9,482 BGN 16.5K

21.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.4 €78.7

$58.4 BGN 102

51.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.60 €35.22

$33.29 BGN 57.9

18.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 €89.8

$90.4 BGN 157

11.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €118

$89.7 BGN 156

48.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$799 €711

$478 BGN 832

67.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 €555

$364 BGN 633

71.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,423 €1,266

$781 BGN 1,359

82.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,030 €916

$579 BGN 1,007

77.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,601 €3,203

$2,178 BGN 3,791

65.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,270 €2,019

$1,601 BGN 2,785

41.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,893 €1,684

$1,129 BGN 1,965

67.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

3.16

12.66%

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

Last update for Italy: October 18, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$624 34.2%

Bulgaria

$364 31.4% 41.7% $261

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$350 19.2%

Bulgaria

$244 21% 30.3% $106

Eating Out

Italy

$276 15.1%

Bulgaria

$183 15.8% 33.8% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$272 14.9%

Bulgaria

$159 13.7% 41.5% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Bulgaria

$122 10.6% 25% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$75 4.1%

Bulgaria

$51 4.4% 32.4% $24

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.6%

Bulgaria

$36 3.1% 44% $29

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $724 in Italy, $328 in Bulgaria. Capital cities: $1,191 in Rome vs $770 in Sofia.

National salary averages: $1,892 in Italy, $1,044 in Bulgaria. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 121% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 87% more in Italy.

Public transport is 86% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 81% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🕒 Local time

02:22 2:22 AM

03:22 3:22 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

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

Italy Bulgaria 900 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Bulgaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,159 per month in Bulgaria and $1,825 in Italy, there's a 57% 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 $724 in Italy 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 Italy 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; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.