Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlovy Vary and Plzen

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovy Vary: $1,447 a month against $1,758 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Karlovy Vary
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Karlovy Vary Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
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Plzen Living Index

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Karlovy Vary

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,447

/mo nomad

Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,758

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Karlovy Vary and in Plzen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,758 in Plzen.

Karlovy Vary $1,447
Plzen $1,758

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,407 in Karlovy Vary versus $2,442 in Plzen.

Karlovy Vary $2,407
Plzen $2,442

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,367 in Karlovy Vary versus $3,126 in Plzen.

Karlovy Vary $3,367
Plzen $3,126

Living in Karlovy Vary costs roughly 18% less than in Plzen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Karlovy Vary 7% above, Plzen 30% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 Kč 197

$11.55 Kč 250

-21.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.32 Kč 980

$50.1 Kč 1,084

-9.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.63 Kč 187

$8.94 Kč 193

-3.47%

Cappuccino

$2.92 Kč 63.1

$3.03 Kč 65.5

-3.63%

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

$1.64 Kč 35.40

$1.99 Kč 42.93

-17.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 Kč 29.28

$1.78 Kč 38.52

-24.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 Kč 43.64

$2.71 Kč 58.7

-25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 Kč 41.42

$2.80 Kč 60.5

-31.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 Kč 25.17

$1.13 Kč 24.43

2.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 Kč 31.01

$1.59 Kč 34.43

-10.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 Kč 49.89

$2.98 Kč 64.3

-22.48%

Eggs

$2.80 Kč 60.6

$3.84 Kč 83.0

-27.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.32 Kč 266

$13.58 Kč 294

-9.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.03 Kč 152

$10.06 Kč 218

-30.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.70 Kč 361

$16.19 Kč 350

3.15%

Apples (1kg)

$1.86 Kč 40.12

$2.18 Kč 47.23

-14.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Kč 36.87

$1.86 Kč 40.22

-8.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.14 Kč 46.31

$2.19 Kč 47.39

-2.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.24 Kč 70.1

$3.54 Kč 76.7

-8.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 Kč 23.03

$1.21 Kč 26.13

-12.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 Kč 23.80

$1.21 Kč 26.15

-9.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 Kč 24.54

$1.63 Kč 35.32

-30.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 Kč 16.42

$0.76 Kč 16.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.45 Kč 161

$6.90 Kč 149

7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.89 Kč 149

$6.70 Kč 145

2.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 Kč 19.04

$1.40 Kč 30.31

-37.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 Kč 35.69

$1.73 Kč 37.31

-4.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 Kč 48.81

$1.29 Kč 27.91

75.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.53 Kč 552

$27.05 Kč 585

-5.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 Kč 58.6

$2.11 Kč 45.54

28.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.45 Kč 31.30

$1.38 Kč 29.94

5.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.71 Kč 361

$13.80 Kč 298

21.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 Kč 40.76

$1.87 Kč 40.39

0.53%

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

$27.5K Kč 594.6K

$30.2K Kč 652.8K

-8.92%

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

$23.2K Kč 502.0K

$29.4K Kč 635.7K

-21.03%

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

$252 Kč 5,447

$276 Kč 5,973

-8.79%

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

$22.47 Kč 486

$17.19 Kč 372

30.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.84 Kč 407

$15.98 Kč 346

17.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 Kč 1,252

$59.5 Kč 1,286

-2.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.42 Kč 463

$14.43 Kč 312

48.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.93 Kč 150

$11.29 Kč 244

-38.62%

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

$182 Kč 3,941

$331 Kč 7,165

-45.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,794 Kč 60.4K

$10.9K Kč 236.1K

-74.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$83.4 Kč 1,804

$78.9 Kč 1,706

5.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.53 Kč 790

$42.82 Kč 926

-14.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 Kč 2,175

$86.1 Kč 1,863

16.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 Kč 2,656

$110 Kč 2,371

12.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$692 Kč 15.0K

$720 Kč 15.6K

-3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 Kč 10.2K

$704 Kč 15.2K

-33.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,642 Kč 35.5K

$928 Kč 20.1K

76.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,305 Kč 28.2K

$908 Kč 19.6K

43.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,820 Kč 147.5K

$5,061 Kč 109.5K

34.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,127 Kč 110.9K

$4,070 Kč 88.0K

25.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,404 Kč 30.4K

$1,905 Kč 41.2K

-26.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.67

4.8

-2.71%

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

Last update for Karlovy Vary: October 10, 2026

Last update for Plzen: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlovy Vary

$470 32.5%

Plzen

$704 40.1% 50% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlovy Vary

$293 20.3%

Plzen

$309 17.6% 5.5% $16

Groceries & Markets

Karlovy Vary

$253 17.5%

Plzen

$288 16.4% 13.7% $35

Eating Out

Karlovy Vary

$160 11%

Plzen

$190 10.8% 18.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Karlovy Vary

$155 10.7%

Plzen

$143 8.1% 7.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Karlovy Vary

$72 5%

Plzen

$82 4.7% 14.3% $10

Getting Around

Karlovy Vary

$45 3.1%

Plzen

$41 2.4% 7.3% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $692 in Karlovy Vary and $720 in Plzen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plzen pays 36% 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: $45.00 in Karlovy Vary vs $50.0 in Plzen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $288 per month, with Karlovy Vary cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Karlovy Vary

🇨🇿 Plzen

🕒 Local time

05:42 5:42 AM

Same time as Karlovy Vary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,065

168,951

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

100 CZK = 4.62 USD

100 CZK = 4.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Karlovy Vary Plzen 65 km

From you

Karlovy Vary
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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

Karlovy Vary vs Plzen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Karlovy Vary is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 22% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 36% lower in Plzen. 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: $692 in Karlovy Vary versus $720 in Plzen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Karlovy Vary – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $50.0 in Plzen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,447 per month in Karlovy Vary versus $1,758 in Plzen – a 22% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,447 in Karlovy Vary versus $1,758 in Plzen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Karlovy Vary but tight or insufficient in Plzen. The gap between the two cities makes Karlovy Vary 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, Karlovy Vary and Plzen are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Karlovy Vary gentler on the wallet – expenses run 22% less than in Plzen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.