Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,232 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $11,700 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,232

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $2,210 per month in Lisbon vs $1,232 in Burgas, rent included.

Lisbon $2,210
Burgas $1,232

A couple spends around $3,275 per month in Lisbon vs $1,825 in Burgas, rent included.

Lisbon $3,275
Burgas $1,825

A family of three spends $4,341 per month in Lisbon vs $2,419 in Burgas, rent included.

Lisbon $4,341
Burgas $2,419

Lisbon costs about 79% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Lisbon sits 62% above the global median, while Burgas is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.95

$13.35 BGN 23.50

24.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.5

$43.72 BGN 77.0

41.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.20

$11.55 BGN 20.32

-1.65%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.67

$3.37 BGN 5.94

-11.87%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$1.06 BGN 1.87

116.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.79 BGN 1.39

120.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.06

$2.04 BGN 3.59

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.78 BGN 4.90

19.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.69 BGN 2.98

-31.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.72

$0.99 BGN 1.75

92.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$2.01 BGN 3.53

-24.88%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.61

$3.23 BGN 5.69

24.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.62

$9.86 BGN 17.36

31.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.98

$8.81 BGN 15.51

-11.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.95

$11.58 BGN 20.38

53.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.07

$2.34 BGN 4.11

-1.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$2.05 BGN 3.60

-15.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.67

$2.05 BGN 3.60

-9.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$2.55 BGN 4.49

1.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.67 BGN 2.93

8.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.77

$1.42 BGN 2.49

38.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.93 BGN 1.64

58.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.91

$3.56 BGN 6.27

84.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.04

$6.81 BGN 11.99

-17.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.03 BGN 1.82

32.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.91 BGN 3.36

12.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.10

$0.87 BGN 1.53

167.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.14

$33.96 BGN 59.8

31.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.46

$1.75 BGN 3.08

120.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.76 BGN 1.34

40.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.79

$12.09 BGN 21.28

36.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.98

$1.67 BGN 2.93

31.74%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$30.3K BGN 53.4K

12.79%

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

$38.7K €34.8K

$23.5K BGN 41.4K

64.56%

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

$161 €145

$103 BGN 182

56.34%

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

$18.41 €16.54

$14.39 BGN 25.32

27.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.41

$11.76 BGN 20.70

178.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €40.02

$37.79 BGN 66.5

17.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.16

$14.31 BGN 25.18

33.47%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.62

$8.74 BGN 15.38

9.84%

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

$668 €600

$230 BGN 404

190.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$14.7K BGN 25.8K

19.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.6

$58.0 BGN 102

75.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.94

$29.82 BGN 52.5

49.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.5

$70.8 BGN 125

39.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$74.7 BGN 131

65.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,445

$569 BGN 1,001

182.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,069

$448 BGN 789

165.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,526

$803 BGN 1,412

250.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,808

$612 BGN 1,078

228.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,042

$2,581 BGN 4,542

203.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,110

$1,888 BGN 3,323

142.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,415

$1,002 BGN 1,764

57.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

3.25

18.46%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Burgas

$448 36.4% 62.3% $742

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Burgas

$246 20% 9.7% $26

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Burgas

$205 16.7% 15.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 39.1% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 36.7% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Burgas

$55 4.5% 13.3% $8.5

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Burgas

$43 3.5% 32% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,608 in Lisbon versus $569 in Burgas. 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 57% 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 $62 in Lisbon versus $44 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $246 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

00:05 12:05 AM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

189,741

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Lisbon Burgas 3,090 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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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

Lisbon vs Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon, $1,232 in Burgas – Burgas comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,315 per month in Lisbon and $1,847 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $569 there versus $1,608 in Lisbon.

Public transport costs about 24% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $668 per month in Lisbon and $230 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgas, where all-in costs run around $1,232, than in Lisbon at $2,210. In Burgas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lisbon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Burgas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,232 in Burgas to $2,210 in Lisbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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