Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon 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 Lisbon and in Varna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,202 in Lisbon versus $1,411 in Varna.

Lisbon $2,202
Varna $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,274 in Lisbon versus $2,223 in Varna.

Lisbon $3,274
Varna $2,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,346 in Lisbon versus $3,035 in Varna.

Lisbon $4,346
Varna $3,035

Living in Lisbon is roughly 56% more expensive than in Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Lisbon 62% above, Varna 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.04 €15.15

$12.74 BGN 22.18

33.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.3 €55.4

$59.4 BGN 103

4.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.02 €9.80

$10.24 BGN 17.81

7.62%

Cappuccino

$3.12 €2.78

$2.92 BGN 5.08

6.85%

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

$2.27 €2.02

$1.97 BGN 3.42

15.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.64 BGN 2.86

6.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.04

$2.82 BGN 4.90

21.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 €3.33

$3.48 BGN 6.06

7.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.95 BGN 3.39

-40.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.86 €1.66

$1.24 BGN 2.16

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 €1.37

$2.67 BGN 4.64

-42.32%

Eggs

$4.06 €3.61

$3.42 BGN 5.96

18.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.91 €11.49

$11.35 BGN 19.74

13.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.90 €7.03

$9.31 BGN 16.21

-15.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.64 €15.69

$14.35 BGN 24.98

22.93%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.01 BGN 3.50

12.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-15.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 €1.68

$2.11 BGN 3.67

-10.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.27

$2.92 BGN 5.08

-12.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.28 BGN 2.23

44.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.04 BGN 1.81

89.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 €1.29

$1.02 BGN 1.78

42.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 €0.69

$0.77 BGN 1.34

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.71 €5.97

$4.03 BGN 7.01

66.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 €5.04

$8.97 BGN 15.61

-36.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$1.18 BGN 2.05

16.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 €1.88

$1.79 BGN 3.12

17.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.32 €2.07

$0.88 BGN 1.52

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.43 €39.52

$28.86 BGN 50.2

53.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.95 €3.51

$1.57 BGN 2.74

151.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.90 BGN 1.56

16.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.15 €15.26

$12.06 BGN 20.99

42.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.74 BGN 3.03

25.86%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

11.13%

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

$38.3K €34.0K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

56.02%

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

$164 €146

$177 BGN 307

-7.26%

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

$18.48 €16.43

$21.08 BGN 36.67

-12.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.96 €29.32

$15.97 BGN 27.80

106.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.87 €40.80

$51.2 BGN 89.0

-10.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.68 €16.61

$19.51 BGN 33.94

-4.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 €8.67

$9.52 BGN 16.56

2.42%

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

$684 €608

$511 BGN 890

33.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.6K €15.7K

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

180.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €92.3

$65.1 BGN 113

59.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.20 €41.09

$33.59 BGN 58.5

37.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.7 €88.7

$102 BGN 178

-2.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$125 €111

$103 BGN 179

21.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,589 €1,414

$645 BGN 1,122

146.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,169 €1,040

$477 BGN 830

144.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,851 €2,536

$1,365 BGN 2,376

108.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,993 €1,773

$914 BGN 1,590

118.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,793 €6,932

$2,941 BGN 5,118

164.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,418 €3,930

$2,142 BGN 3,726

106.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,600 €1,423

$1,271 BGN 2,211

25.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.85

2.82

36.52%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1%

Varna

$477 33.8% 59.2% $692

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$273 12.4%

Varna

$272 19.3% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11.2%

Varna

$203 14.4% 17.9% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.8%

Varna

$214 15.1% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.7%

Varna

$137 9.7% 18.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 3%

Varna

$70 5% 7.4% $4.8

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.9%

Varna

$38 2.7% 38.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,589 in Lisbon and $645 in Varna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 26% 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: $62.0 in Lisbon vs $59.0 in Varna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $273 vs $272 per month, with Varna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

13:35 1:35 PM

15:35 3:35 PM

2 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

348,058

💱 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

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lisbon Varna 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Lisbon
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

Lisbon vs Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lisbon and Varna differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($2,202 vs $1,411 including rent). Varna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 26% 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: $1,589 in Lisbon versus $645 in Varna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $684 in Lisbon versus $511 in Varna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,411 in Varna versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varna but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Varna 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 Varna 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 Varna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.