Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kardzhali and Santa Ana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kardzhali: $653 a month against $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent and utilities included – about $16,400 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
97

Cost of Living Index in Santa Ana
Learn more

Santa Ana Living Index

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Kardzhali

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$653

/mo nomad

Santa Ana

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$2,018

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kardzhali and in Santa Ana

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

A single person spends $653 per month in Kardzhali vs $2,018 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Kardzhali $653
Santa Ana $2,018

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Kardzhali vs $3,233 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Kardzhali $1,071
Santa Ana $3,233

A family of three spends $1,489 per month in Kardzhali vs $4,447 in Santa Ana, rent included.

Kardzhali $1,489
Santa Ana $4,447

Kardzhali is about 68% cheaper than Santa Ana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kardzhali sits 52% below the global median, while Santa Ana is 49% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.22 BGN 19.52

$12.04 ₡5,401

-6.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.74 BGN 39.57

$62.6 ₡28.1K

-63.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.05 BGN 15.75

$11.78 ₡5,285

-23.17%

Cappuccino

$1.11 BGN 1.92

$4.40 ₡1,975

-74.77%

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

$1.04 BGN 1.80

$2.14 ₡959

-51.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.70 BGN 1.21

$1.37 ₡613

-48.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$3.36 ₡1,508

-51.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 BGN 2.31

$4.27 ₡1,917

-68.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.21 ₡993

-25.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 BGN 1.29

$3.12 ₡1,400

-76.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 BGN 2.49

$2.51 ₡1,127

-43.03%

Eggs

$2.81 BGN 4.89

$3.47 ₡1,554

-19.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 BGN 17.68

$10.87 ₡4,876

-6.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 BGN 9.75

$10.40 ₡4,664

-46.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.74 BGN 11.73

$14.19 ₡6,364

-52.50%

Apples (1kg)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$5.10 ₡2,289

-82.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 BGN 3.55

$1.65 ₡742

23.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.35

$4.65 ₡2,086

-58.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.71

$3.98 ₡1,785

-46.48%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$3.93 ₡1,761

-83.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 BGN 2.22

$3.60 ₡1,615

-64.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.12 ₡500

-35.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 BGN 1.39

$1.80 ₡808

-55.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.59 BGN 6.25

$6.11 ₡2,738

-41.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.56 BGN 7.94

$17.77 ₡7,970

-74.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$2.88 ₡1,293

-63.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 BGN 2.46

$2.69 ₡1,207

-47.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.13 BGN 19.36

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$2.49 ₡1,116

-32.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 BGN 1.23

$1.56 ₡698

-55.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 BGN 9.83

$8.59 ₡3,852

-34.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$1.55 ₡694

9.68%

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

$29.7K BGN 51.7K

$21.6K ₡9.7M

37.60%

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

$22.4K BGN 39.0K

$34.6K ₡15.5M

-35.25%

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

$60.9 BGN 106

$93.7 ₡42.0K

-34.93%

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

$5.73 BGN 9.97

$32.78 ₡14.7K

-82.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.65 BGN 13.30

$50.0 ₡22.4K

-84.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.14 BGN 40.26

$157 ₡70.4K

-85.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.25 ₡9,980

Cinema Ticket

$8.43 BGN 14.67

$7.78 ₡3,490

8.35%

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

$230 BGN 401

$983 ₡440.6K

-76.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.5K BGN 25.2K

$17.4K ₡7.8M

-16.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.87 BGN 39.79

$65.4 ₡29.3K

-65.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.49 BGN 21.73

$56.0 ₡25.1K

-77.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.07 BGN 78.4

$127 ₡57.2K

-64.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.0 BGN 130

$132 ₡59.0K

-43.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$114 BGN 198

$1,055 ₡473.0K

-89.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 BGN 198

$885 ₡396.9K

-87.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$228 BGN 396

$2,955 ₡1.3M

-92.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$275 BGN 479

$1,844 ₡827.1K

-85.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,145 BGN 1,993

$2,727 ₡1.2M

-57.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$858 BGN 1,493

$1,657 ₡743.2K

-48.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,281 BGN 2,229

$1,402 ₡628.9K

-8.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

8.62

-62.30%

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

Last update for Kardzhali: October 11, 2026

Last update for Santa Ana: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kardzhali

$189 28.9%

Santa Ana

$379 18.8% 101% $190

Eating Out

Kardzhali

$148 22.6%

Santa Ana

$224 11.1% 51.4% $76

Accommodation & Living

Kardzhali

$114 17.5%

Santa Ana

$885 43.9% 676% $771

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kardzhali

$74 11.4%

Santa Ana

$176 8.7% 137% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Kardzhali

$70 10.7%

Santa Ana

$171 8.5% 145% $101

Sport & Entertainment

Kardzhali

$40 6.1%

Santa Ana

$173 8.6% 331% $133

Getting Around

Kardzhali

$19 2.8%

Santa Ana

$10 * 0.5% 44.5% $8.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $114 in Kardzhali versus $1,055 in Santa Ana. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 9% higher in Santa Ana, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Kardzhali versus $63.0 in Santa Ana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $189 vs $379 – making Kardzhali the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Kardzhali

🇨🇷 Santa Ana

🕒 Local time

05:46 5:46 AM

20:46 8:46 PM

9 h behind Kardzhali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,421

13,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kardzhali Santa Ana 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Kardzhali
Santa Ana

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 Santa Ana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Ana costs about 209% more than Kardzhali, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $980 per month in Kardzhali and $3,027 in Santa Ana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kardzhali, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $653 in Kardzhali and $2,018 in Santa Ana. That's a gap of about 209%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Kardzhali and $983 in Santa Ana. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Kardzhali, where all-in costs run around $653, than in Santa Ana at $2,018. In Kardzhali it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santa Ana it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kardzhali costs $653 versus $2,018 in Santa Ana. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Kardzhali. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Ana makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.