Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $757 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $39,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Sliven, Bulgaria
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Sliven
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$757
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $757 in Sliven, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Sliven $757

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,205 in Sliven, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Sliven $1,205

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,653 in Sliven, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Sliven $1,653

London costs about 435% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Sliven is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Sliven
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$9.74 BGN 16.95
170.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$34.95 BGN 60.8
210.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$9.67 BGN 16.82
10.75%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$1.84 BGN 3.20
203.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$1.23 BGN 2.14
143.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.86 BGN 1.49
158.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$1.67 BGN 2.90
477.84%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$2.33 BGN 4.05
254.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Sliven
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.52 BGN 2.64
29.61%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$0.77 BGN 1.34
171.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$2.27 BGN 3.94
14.10%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$2.17 BGN 3.78
147.47%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$8.25 BGN 14.35
59.03%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$5.29 BGN 9.21
108.51%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.17
$6.57 BGN 11.43
169.86%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$1.47 BGN 2.56
115.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.67 BGN 2.91
-17.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.45 BGN 2.53
94.48%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$2.12 BGN 3.69
58.49%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$0.47 BGN 0.82
261.70%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$0.89 BGN 1.55
100.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.13 BGN 1.96
31.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.51 BGN 0.89
256.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.72
$3.60 BGN 6.26
562.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.98
$5.92 BGN 10.31
127.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$1.05 BGN 1.82
196.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$1.29 BGN 2.24
248.06%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Sliven
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
$0.70 BGN 1.22
490.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
$34.79 BGN 60.5
664.53%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.44
$1.11 BGN 1.94
438.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$0.58 BGN 1.01
484.48%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$8.57 BGN 14.90
559.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.46 BGN 2.55
51.37%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$30.3K BGN 52.8K
26.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$22.3K BGN 38.7K
84.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Sliven
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$84.9 BGN 148
338.38%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$18.87 BGN 32.84
-1.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.12
$9.16 BGN 15.94
342.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Sliven
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
$22.53 BGN 39.20
148.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
$13.31 BGN 23.15
28.47%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$5.55 BGN 9.67
223.42%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Sliven
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$582 BGN 1,012
406.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$11.2K BGN 19.5K
325.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Sliven
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$56.9 BGN 99.0
104.40%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.28
$22.51 BGN 39.16
152.78%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$69.5 BGN 121
83.98%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$60.3 BGN 105
155.02%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Sliven
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
$233 BGN 406
1158.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
$145 BGN 252
1457.42%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,901
$329 BGN 573
1495.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
$255 BGN 443
1415.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,104 BGN 1,921
1456.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,152
$925 BGN 1,609
795.24%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Sliven
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
$1,305 BGN 2,271
330.61%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
2.87
66.55%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Sliven
$145 93.6% $2.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Sliven
$113 73.8% $319
Eating Out
London
$396
Sliven
$150 62% $245
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Sliven
$179 50.3% $181
Getting Around
London
$305
Sliven
$42 86.4% $264
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Sliven
$94 54% $111
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Sliven
$34 63.4% $58

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $233 in Sliven. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 4.3 times higher, 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 $109 in London versus $35 in Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $179 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇧🇬 Sliven
🕒 Local time
08:47 8:47 AM
10:47 10:47 AM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
95,806
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Sliven 2,210 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Sliven

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
London vs Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Sliven compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $757 in Sliven – Sliven comes out roughly 81% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Sliven?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,135 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Sliven?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Sliven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 101% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London and $35 in Sliven. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Sliven, where all-in costs run around $757, than in London at $4,048. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Sliven?
Families tend to lean toward Sliven – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between London and Sliven?
If budget matters most, go with Sliven. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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