Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Stara Zagora

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,210 in Lisbon versus $908 in Stara Zagora.

Lisbon $2,210
Stara Zagora $908

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,275 in Lisbon versus $1,415 in Stara Zagora.

Lisbon $3,275
Stara Zagora $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,341 in Lisbon versus $1,921 in Stara Zagora.

Lisbon $4,341
Stara Zagora $1,921

Living in Lisbon is roughly 143% more expensive than in Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 62% above, Stara Zagora is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.65 €14.92

$10.38 BGN 18.16

60.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 €55.3

$51.7 BGN 90.5

19.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.18

$9.15 BGN 16.02

24.15%

Cappuccino

$2.97 €2.66

$2.34 BGN 4.09

26.92%

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

$2.29 €2.05

$1.50 BGN 2.62

52.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.56

$0.87 BGN 1.52

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.05

$2.21 BGN 3.87

53.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.97

$2.03 BGN 3.56

63.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.16 €1.04

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-32.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.86 BGN 1.51

122.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 €1.36

$1.45 BGN 2.54

4.14%

Eggs

$4.02 €3.60

$2.36 BGN 4.12

70.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.94 €11.59

$9.38 BGN 16.42

37.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 €6.97

$6.39 BGN 11.18

21.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.76 €15.92

$8.59 BGN 15.03

106.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 €2.06

$1.25 BGN 2.19

84.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.70 BGN 2.98

1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.76 BGN 3.08

5.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.32

$1.93 BGN 3.38

34.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$1.00 BGN 1.74

82.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.76

$0.72 BGN 1.26

173.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.32

$0.55 BGN 0.97

167.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 €0.65

$0.63 BGN 1.10

14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.58 €5.90

$3.64 BGN 6.38

80.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.61 €5.02

$5.25 BGN 9.18

6.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.09 BGN 1.91

24.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.73 BGN 3.03

23.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.85 BGN 1.49

174.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.68 €40.04

$20.45 BGN 35.79

118.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.29 BGN 2.26

198.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.96

$0.64 BGN 1.13

67.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.46 €14.75

$11.40 BGN 19.95

44.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.57 BGN 2.75

40.13%

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

$34.2K €30.6K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

15.01%

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

$38.7K €34.7K

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

64.95%

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

$161 €144

$91.4 BGN 160

76.47%

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

$18.41 €16.50

$14.59 BGN 25.53

26.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.74 €29.34

$12.26 BGN 21.46

167.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.55 €39.92

$33.21 BGN 58.1

34.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.11

$21.06 BGN 36.86

-9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$9.60 €8.60

$8.89 BGN 15.55

7.99%

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

$668 €598

$227 BGN 398

193.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.8K

$2,270 BGN 3,972

676.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$30.35 BGN 53.1

236.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.46 €39.85

$19.39 BGN 33.93

129.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.5 €88.3

$64.0 BGN 112

53.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$51.9 BGN 90.8

138.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,608 €1,441

$330 BGN 577

388.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,190 €1,066

$279 BGN 489

326.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,812 €2,520

$498 BGN 871

464.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,013 €1,804

$399 BGN 699

404.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,839 €7,025

$1,506 BGN 2,635

420.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,576 €4,100

$1,109 BGN 1,941

312.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,575 €1,411

$1,067 BGN 1,867

47.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.99

28.76%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8%

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8% 76.5% $911

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.3%

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3% 28.9% $79

Eating Out

Lisbon

$243 11%

Stara Zagora

$163 18% 32.8% $80

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$212 9.6%

Stara Zagora

$118 13% 44.3% $94

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$166 7.5%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 55.1% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$64 2.9%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 20% $13

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1% 55.1% $35

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,608 in Lisbon and $330 in Stara Zagora. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 48% 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: $62 in Lisbon vs $52 in Stara Zagora for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $194 per month, with Stara Zagora cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

13:09 1:09 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

149,266

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lisbon Stara Zagora 2,940 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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $2,210 in Lisbon and $908 in Stara Zagora, so Stara Zagora is about 59% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 48% higher in Lisbon, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,608 in Lisbon versus $330 in Stara Zagora. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $668 in Lisbon versus $227 in Stara Zagora. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 41% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $908 in Stara Zagora versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Stara Zagora but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Stara Zagora 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, Lisbon and Stara Zagora are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Stara Zagora gentler on the wallet – expenses run 59% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.