Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Blagoevgrad

For one person, living is cheaper in Blagoevgrad: $837 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Blagoevgrad
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Blagoevgrad Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Blagoevgrad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Blagoevgrad

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

A single person spends $2,223 per month in Lisbon vs $837 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Lisbon $2,223
Blagoevgrad $837

A couple spends around $3,271 per month in Lisbon vs $1,311 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Lisbon $3,271
Blagoevgrad $1,311

A family of three spends $4,319 per month in Lisbon vs $1,784 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Lisbon $4,319
Blagoevgrad $1,784

Lisbon costs about 166% more than Blagoevgrad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Lisbon sits 65% above the global median, while Blagoevgrad is 38% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.50 €14.67

$9.01 BGN 15.67

83.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.3 €54.5

$33.78 BGN 58.8

81.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.27 €10.03

$9.76 BGN 16.98

15.47%

Cappuccino

$3.06 €2.72

$2.08 BGN 3.62

47.12%

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

$2.26 €2.01

$1.50 BGN 2.61

50.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.03 BGN 1.78

67.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.39 €3.02

$2.62 BGN 4.56

29.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.40 €3.02

$1.99 BGN 3.46

70.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 €1.00

$1.52 BGN 2.65

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.88 BGN 1.53

111.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$1.18 BGN 2.05

29.66%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.53

$2.22 BGN 3.87

78.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.76 €11.35

$7.57 BGN 13.17

68.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.02

$5.00 BGN 8.70

58.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.97 €15.09

$3.32 BGN 5.77

411.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.68 BGN 2.93

35.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.87 BGN 3.26

-6.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.12 BGN 1.95

65.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.28

$2.59 BGN 4.51

-0.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.65

$0.62 BGN 1.08

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.49 BGN 0.85

312.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.55 BGN 0.96

161.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.64 BGN 1.11

28.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.83

$3.08 BGN 5.36

112.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.62 €5.00

$6.10 BGN 10.62

-7.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.02 BGN 1.77

25.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.21 BGN 2.11

71.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.35 €2.09

$0.69 BGN 1.21

240.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.18 €39.30

$20.14 BGN 35.04

119.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.11 BGN 1.94

259.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.65 BGN 1.13

67.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.64 €14.81

$10.09 BGN 17.56

64.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.50 BGN 2.61

52.00%

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

$33.7K €30.0K

$29.8K BGN 51.9K

12.94%

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

$39.3K €35.0K

$23.1K BGN 40.2K

69.87%

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

$167 €149

$114 BGN 199

46.63%

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

$18.80 €16.72

$16.51 BGN 28.72

13.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.09 €29.43

$10.53 BGN 18.33

214.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €40.93

$20.18 BGN 35.11

128.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.19 €17.07

$8.65 BGN 15.05

121.85%

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 €8.75

$4.68 BGN 8.14

110.26%

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

$677 €602

$516 BGN 899

31.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$5,373 BGN 9,348

214.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$101 €90.1

$22.84 BGN 39.75

343.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.76 €40.70

$14.38 BGN 25.02

218.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100.0 €88.9

$76.7 BGN 133

30.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €109

$87.0 BGN 151

41.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,614 €1,436

$325 BGN 566

396.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,197 €1,065

$230 BGN 401

419.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,862 €2,545

$536 BGN 933

433.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,990 €1,770

$447 BGN 777

345.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,577 €6,740

$1,583 BGN 2,754

378.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,307 €3,831

$1,083 BGN 1,885

297.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,588 €1,412

$1,005 BGN 1,748

58.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.1

24.19%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Blagoevgrad: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9%

Blagoevgrad

$230 27.5% 80.8% $967

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$269 12.1%

Blagoevgrad

$165 19.7% 38.8% $105

Eating Out

Lisbon

$242 10.9%

Blagoevgrad

$153 18.3% 36.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$219 9.9%

Blagoevgrad

$141 16.9% 35.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Blagoevgrad

$90 10.8% 45.7% $76

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$66 3%

Blagoevgrad

$30 3.5% 55% $36

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Blagoevgrad

$27 3.3% 56.7% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,614 in Lisbon versus $325 in Blagoevgrad. 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 58% higher in Lisbon, 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 $61.0 in Lisbon versus $34.00 in Blagoevgrad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $165 – making Blagoevgrad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Blagoevgrad

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

75,079

💱 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

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Between locations

Lisbon Blagoevgrad 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Blagoevgrad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Lisbon is pricier by about 166%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,335 per month in Lisbon and $1,256 in Blagoevgrad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Lisbon and $34.00 in Blagoevgrad. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,223 in Lisbon and $837 in Blagoevgrad. That's a gap of about 166%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Blagoevgrad, where all-in costs run around $837, than in Lisbon at $2,223. In Blagoevgrad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Blagoevgrad – 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 Blagoevgrad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lisbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.