Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kardzhali and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Kardzhali: $651 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Kardzhali
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Kardzhali Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Kardzhali

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$651

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kardzhali and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $651 in Kardzhali versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Kardzhali $651
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,068 in Kardzhali versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Kardzhali $1,068
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,484 in Kardzhali versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Kardzhali $1,484
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Kardzhali costs roughly 73% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Kardzhali is 52% below, Barcelona is 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.02 BGN 19.28

$17.59 €15.75

-37.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.11 BGN 40.45

$67.5 €60.5

-65.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.87 BGN 15.52

$13.53 €12.12

-34.44%

Cappuccino

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$3.19 €2.86

-64.89%

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

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$2.91 €2.61

-63.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 BGN 1.29

$1.89 €1.70

-60.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.59 BGN 2.78

$4.01 €3.59

-60.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 BGN 2.33

$4.53 €4.06

-70.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.96

$1.31 €1.17

29.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$2.02 €1.81

-64.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.64

$1.85 €1.66

-18.38%

Eggs

$2.83 BGN 4.95

$4.83 €4.33

-41.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 BGN 17.87

$16.74 €14.99

-39.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 BGN 9.68

$9.12 €8.17

-39.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.58 BGN 11.52

$19.64 €17.59

-66.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$2.98 €2.67

-71.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.44

$2.02 €1.81

-2.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

$2.70 €2.42

-30.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.85

$2.80 €2.51

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 BGN 1.21

$2.09 €1.87

-66.99%

Onion (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.29

$2.07 €1.85

-36.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 BGN 1.18

$1.46 €1.31

-54.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$0.94 €0.84

-20.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.56 BGN 6.23

$6.87 €6.15

-48.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 BGN 7.66

$7.89 €7.06

-44.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 BGN 1.75

$1.41 €1.26

-29.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 BGN 2.47

$2.54 €2.27

-44.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$3.14 €2.82

-82.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.11 BGN 19.44

$25.45 €22.79

-56.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 BGN 2.99

$2.99 €2.68

-42.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$1.49 €1.34

-52.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 BGN 9.52

$33.37 €29.89

-83.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 BGN 2.84

$1.80 €1.61

-10.00%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.9K

$33.2K €29.7K

-8.87%

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

$24.0K BGN 42.1K

$31.7K €28.4K

-24.14%

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

$61.4 BGN 107

$180 €162

-65.97%

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

$5.56 BGN 9.73

$13.84 €12.39

-59.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.88 BGN 13.80

$33.70 €30.18

-76.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.90 BGN 40.08

$51.5 €46.13

-55.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.96 €14.29

Cinema Ticket

$8.76 BGN 15.33

$10.99 €9.85

-20.29%

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

$230 BGN 402

$917 €821

-74.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.6K BGN 25.6K

$16.5K €14.8K

-11.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.89 BGN 40.05

$87.0 €77.9

-73.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.69 BGN 22.21

$38.51 €34.49

-67.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.21 BGN 80.9

$106 €94.8

-56.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 BGN 131

$120 €107

-37.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$115 BGN 201

$1,699 €1,522

-93.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 BGN 199

$1,355 €1,214

-91.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$232 BGN 406

$2,603 €2,331

-91.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 BGN 479

$2,062 €1,847

-86.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,141 BGN 1,997

$6,915 €6,193

-83.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$855 BGN 1,497

$5,128 €4,592

-83.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,287 BGN 2,251

$2,211 €1,980

-41.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

3.28

-0.91%

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

Last update for Kardzhali: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kardzhali

$187 28.7%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 72.1% $135

Eating Out

Kardzhali

$146 22.4%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 83.5% $122

Accommodation & Living

Kardzhali

$114 17.5%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 1093% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kardzhali

$75 11.5%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 205% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Kardzhali

$71 10.8%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 124% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Kardzhali

$40 6.2%

Barcelona

$74 3% 81.8% $33

Getting Around

Kardzhali

$19 2.9%

Barcelona

$48 2% 162% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $115 in Kardzhali and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 72% 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: $23 in Kardzhali vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $187 vs $322 per month, with Kardzhali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Kardzhali

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

08:05 8:05 AM

1 h behind Kardzhali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,421

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kardzhali Barcelona 1,930 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Kardzhali
Barcelona

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

Kardzhali vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $651 in Kardzhali and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Kardzhali is about 73% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% lower in Kardzhali. 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: $115 in Kardzhali versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $230 in Kardzhali versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $651 in Kardzhali versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $800 budget is realistic in Kardzhali but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Kardzhali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Kardzhali and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kardzhali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 73% less than in Barcelona. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.