Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovo and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $785 a month against $1,388 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$785

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovo and in Varna

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

A single person spends $785 per month in Karlovo vs $1,388 in Varna, rent included.

Karlovo $785
Varna $1,388

A couple spends around $1,266 per month in Karlovo vs $2,192 in Varna, rent included.

Karlovo $1,266
Varna $2,192

A family of three spends $1,747 per month in Karlovo vs $2,997 in Varna, rent included.

Karlovo $1,747
Varna $2,997

Karlovo is about 43% cheaper than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Karlovo sits 42% below the global median, while Varna is 3% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.17 BGN 12.48

$12.74 BGN 22.16

-43.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.24 BGN 59.6

$59.9 BGN 104

-42.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 BGN 15.29

$10.21 BGN 17.77

-13.91%

Cappuccino

$1.45 BGN 2.53

$2.93 BGN 5.10

-50.51%

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

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.88 BGN 3.27

-44.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$1.60 BGN 2.78

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$2.93 BGN 5.10

-32.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$3.52 BGN 6.13

-50.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-30.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.81 BGN 3.15

$2.57 BGN 4.47

-29.57%

Eggs

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$3.45 BGN 6.01

-5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.07 BGN 17.53

$11.30 BGN 19.66

-10.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.75 BGN 15.22

$9.02 BGN 15.69

-2.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.56 BGN 9.68

$14.12 BGN 24.57

-60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 BGN 2.24

$1.91 BGN 3.32

-32.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.57

$2.11 BGN 3.67

-2.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.57

$2.13 BGN 3.70

-3.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 BGN 3.82

$2.95 BGN 5.14

-25.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 BGN 0.83

$1.25 BGN 2.18

-61.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-15.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.99 BGN 1.72

$1.07 BGN 1.86

-7.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BGN 1.26

$0.75 BGN 1.30

-2.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 BGN 5.68

$3.97 BGN 6.92

-17.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.01 BGN 12.19

$8.68 BGN 15.10

-19.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 BGN 1.82

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-9.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 BGN 3.17

$1.80 BGN 3.13

1.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$0.89 BGN 1.55

24.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.81 BGN 41.42

$28.87 BGN 50.2

-17.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.61 BGN 2.80

-27.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 BGN 1.27

$0.91 BGN 1.58

-19.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.05 BGN 20.96

$12.08 BGN 21.02

-0.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 BGN 2.56

$1.75 BGN 3.04

-16.00%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$29.8K BGN 51.8K

0.55%

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

$22.1K BGN 38.4K

$25.4K BGN 44.2K

-12.99%

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

$102 BGN 177

$173 BGN 302

-41.35%

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

$14.44 BGN 25.13

$20.88 BGN 36.32

-30.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.63 BGN 20.24

$16.07 BGN 27.96

-27.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.67 BGN 51.6

$52.4 BGN 91.2

-43.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.41 BGN 28.56

$20.08 BGN 34.94

-18.28%

Cinema Ticket

$5.79 BGN 10.08

$8.86 BGN 15.42

-34.65%

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

$229 BGN 398

$497 BGN 865

-53.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,818 BGN 10.1K

$6,315 BGN 11.0K

-7.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.73 BGN 50.0

$65.3 BGN 114

-56.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.55 BGN 20.09

$33.69 BGN 58.6

-65.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.7 BGN 100

$101 BGN 176

-43.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.96 BGN 80.0

$102 BGN 177

-54.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$334 BGN 581

$626 BGN 1,089

-46.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 BGN 330

$462 BGN 805

-59.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 BGN 949

$1,326 BGN 2,307

-58.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 BGN 694

$888 BGN 1,545

-55.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,227 BGN 2,135

$2,992 BGN 5,205

-58.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,212 BGN 2,109

$2,161 BGN 3,760

-43.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$459 BGN 798

$1,283 BGN 2,232

-64.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

2.85

14.04%

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

Last update for Karlovo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Karlovo

$207 26.4%

Varna

$267 19.3% 28.9% $60

Accommodation & Living

Karlovo

$190 24.1%

Varna

$462 33.3% 144% $273

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovo

$128 16.3%

Varna

$210 15.2% 64.6% $83

Eating Out

Karlovo

$122 15.5%

Varna

$203 14.6% 67.1% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovo

$65 8.2%

Varna

$136 9.8% 110% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovo

$41 5.3%

Varna

$70 5.1% 70% $29

Getting Around

Karlovo

$33 4.2%

Varna

$39 2.8% 16.6% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $334 in Karlovo versus $626 in Varna. 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 180% higher in Varna, 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 $34.00 in Karlovo versus $60.0 in Varna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $207 vs $267 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

Same time as Karlovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,919

348,058

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karlovo Varna 260 km

From you

Karlovo
Varna

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

Karlovo vs Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varna is pricier by about 77%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,178 per month in Karlovo and $2,082 in Varna. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 21% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $229 per month in Karlovo and $497 in Varna. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $785, than in Varna at $1,388. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Karlovo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.