Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $909 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Stara Zagora
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$909
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London 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 London and in Stara Zagora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $4,048 per month in London vs $909 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

  • London $4,048
  • Stara Zagora $909

A couple spends around $5,903 per month in London vs $1,416 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

  • London $5,903
  • Stara Zagora $1,416

A family of three spends $7,758 per month in London vs $1,923 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

  • London $7,758
  • Stara Zagora $1,923

London costs about 345% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

London sits 199% above the global median, while Stara Zagora is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.68
$10.19 BGN 17.73
158.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £81.1
$52.3 BGN 91.0
107.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £8.00
$9.03 BGN 15.71
18.60%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.17
$2.28 BGN 3.97
145.18%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.24
$1.57 BGN 2.74
91.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.66
$0.81 BGN 1.42
174.07%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.20
$2.21 BGN 3.85
336.65%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.16
$1.94 BGN 3.38
325.77%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.47
$1.74 BGN 3.03
13.22%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.56
$0.80 BGN 1.39
161.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.94
$1.50 BGN 2.61
72.67%
Eggs
$5.37 £4.01
$2.29 BGN 3.98
134.50%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.79
$9.47 BGN 16.47
38.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.23
$6.30 BGN 10.97
75.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.23
$8.24 BGN 14.34
115.17%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.37
$1.27 BGN 2.21
149.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.65 BGN 2.88
-16.36%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.11
$1.74 BGN 3.03
62.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.51
$1.94 BGN 3.37
73.20%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.27
$0.99 BGN 1.72
71.72%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.33
$0.72 BGN 1.26
147.22%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$0.55 BGN 0.96
170.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.36
$0.67 BGN 1.16
171.64%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.80
$3.68 BGN 6.41
548.10%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £10.03
$5.11 BGN 8.89
163.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.32
$1.14 BGN 1.99
172.81%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.35
$1.73 BGN 3.01
159.54%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.08
$0.85 BGN 1.48
385.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £199
$20.79 BGN 36.18
1179.37%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.46
$1.59 BGN 2.76
276.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.53
$0.94 BGN 1.63
260.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.21
$16.87 BGN 29.36
235.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.65
$1.65 BGN 2.87
33.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.6K
$30.0K BGN 52.2K
27.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.6K
$23.8K BGN 41.4K
72.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £278
$93.2 BGN 162
299.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.93
$14.55 BGN 25.32
28.25%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.26
$12.29 BGN 21.39
229.78%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.82
$32.99 BGN 57.4
69.81%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.76
$21.44 BGN 37.31
-20.24%
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.40
$9.04 BGN 15.73
98.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,199
$226 BGN 392
1205.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.5K
$2,291 BGN 3,987
1978.37%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.8
$30.91 BGN 53.8
276.06%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.47
$19.40 BGN 33.76
193.30%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.5
$64.8 BGN 113
97.41%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £115
$50.5 BGN 87.9
204.77%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,191
$318 BGN 553
823.21%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,686
$280 BGN 487
706.58%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,919
$497 BGN 865
956.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,881
$402 BGN 700
859.91%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
$1,524 BGN 2,651
1027.76%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,179
$1,109 BGN 1,929
646.53%
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Stara Zagora
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,196
$1,060 BGN 1,845
430.16%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
2.99
59.87%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Stara Zagora
$280 87.6% $2K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Stara Zagora
$120 72.2% $312
Eating Out
London
$396
Stara Zagora
$160 59.4% $235
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Stara Zagora
$192 46.7% $168
Getting Around
London
$305
Stara Zagora
$30 90% $275
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Stara Zagora
$75 63.6% $130
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Stara Zagora
$51 44.4% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,935 in London versus $318 in Stara Zagora. 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 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $109 in London versus $52 in Stara Zagora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $360 vs $192 – making Stara Zagora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇧🇬 Stara Zagora
🕒 Local time
14:25 2:25 PM
16:25 4:25 PM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
149,266
💱 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 = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 Stara Zagora 2,180 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Stara Zagora

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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in London and in Stara Zagora compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $4,048 in London, $909 in Stara Zagora – Stara Zagora comes out roughly 78% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Stara Zagora?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $6,072 per month in London and $1,363 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between London and Stara Zagora?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $318 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 87% 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 $52 in Stara Zagora. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $909, than in London at $4,048. In Stara Zagora it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: London or Stara Zagora?
Families tend to lean toward Stara Zagora – 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 Stara Zagora?
If budget matters most, go with Stara Zagora. 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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