Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nis and Veliko Tarnovo

For one person, living costs are similar in Nis and in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,023 and $1,006 a month, rent and utilities included.

50

Cost of Living Index in Nis
Learn more

Nis Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
Learn more

Veliko Tarnovo Living Index

Jump to prices

Nis

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,023

/mo nomad

Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Nis and in Veliko Tarnovo

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

A single person spends $1,023 per month in Nis vs $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Nis $1,023
Veliko Tarnovo $1,006

A couple spends around $1,502 per month in Nis vs $1,574 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Nis $1,502
Veliko Tarnovo $1,574

A family of three spends $1,980 per month in Nis vs $2,141 in Veliko Tarnovo, rent included.

Nis $1,980
Veliko Tarnovo $2,141

Nis costs about 2% more than Veliko Tarnovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Nis and Veliko Tarnovo are more affordable than the global median – Nis 24% lower, Veliko Tarnovo 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.78 RSD 915

$11.12 BGN 19.35

-21.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.82 RSD 3,525

$39.76 BGN 69.2

-14.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.67 RSD 1,008

$9.61 BGN 16.73

0.62%

Cappuccino

$1.95 RSD 203

$1.85 BGN 3.21

5.41%

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

$2.29 RSD 239

$1.31 BGN 2.29

74.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RSD 183

$0.88 BGN 1.53

98.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.65 RSD 380

$2.03 BGN 3.53

79.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.46 RSD 465

$2.79 BGN 4.85

59.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 RSD 118

$1.86 BGN 3.23

-39.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.75 RSD 182

$2.48 BGN 4.31

-29.44%

Eggs

$2.35 RSD 245

$3.67 BGN 6.39

-35.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 RSD 819

$10.17 BGN 17.70

-22.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.69 RSD 594

$8.00 BGN 13.92

-28.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.37 RSD 1,081

$12.43 BGN 21.63

-16.57%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RSD 116

$1.60 BGN 2.78

-30.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 RSD 174

$2.05 BGN 3.57

-18.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RSD 155

$1.96 BGN 3.41

-24.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.14 RSD 223

$2.58 BGN 4.48

-17.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 RSD 85.6

$1.09 BGN 1.90

-24.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RSD 75.2

$1.17 BGN 2.04

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 RSD 69.0

$0.98 BGN 1.70

-32.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 RSD 60.9

$0.73 BGN 1.27

-20.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 RSD 462

$4.10 BGN 7.13

8.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 RSD 587

$6.72 BGN 11.69

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RSD 73.9

$1.21 BGN 2.10

-41.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 RSD 134

$1.61 BGN 2.79

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 BGN 40.42

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.76 RSD 183

$1.16 BGN 2.02

51.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RSD 72.9

$0.67 BGN 1.17

4.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.10 RSD 845

$11.18 BGN 19.46

-27.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 RSD 197

$1.56 BGN 2.71

21.15%

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

$30.2K RSD 3.1M

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

-0.98%

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

$23.3K RSD 2.4M

$30.6K BGN 53.3K

-24.03%

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

$161 RSD 16.8K

$95.9 BGN 167

68.41%

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

$18.82 RSD 1,962

$18.81 BGN 32.73

0.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.47 RSD 2,342

$15.86 BGN 27.59

41.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.95 RSD 3,122

$30.50 BGN 53.1

-1.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.69 RSD 1,636

$19.69 BGN 34.26

-20.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.73 RSD 493

$6.91 BGN 12.02

-31.55%

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

$247 RSD 25.8K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,859 RSD 506.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 RSD 9,350

$46.95 BGN 81.7

91.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 RSD 3,973

$30.58 BGN 53.2

24.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.6 RSD 10.3K

$122 BGN 213

-19.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 RSD 11.2K

$93.1 BGN 162

15.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$392 RSD 40.9K

$351 BGN 611

11.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$278 RSD 29.0K

$260 BGN 453

6.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$581 RSD 60.6K

$572 BGN 995

1.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 RSD 41.7K

$420 BGN 731

-4.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,477 RSD 258.2K

$2,407 BGN 4,187

2.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,826 RSD 190.4K

$1,364 BGN 2,373

33.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$886 RSD 92.4K

$952 BGN 1,657

-6.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.12

2.74

86.86%

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

Last update for Nis: October 11, 2026

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nis

$278 27.2%

Veliko Tarnovo

$260 25.9% 6.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nis

$203 19.8%

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 13% 35.6% $72

Groceries & Markets

Nis

$181 17.7%

Veliko Tarnovo

$244 24.2% 34.6% $63

Eating Out

Nis

$166 16.2%

Veliko Tarnovo

$164 16.3% 0.9% $1.5

Clothing & Footwear

Nis

$150 14.7%

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 13.1% 12.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Nis

$39 3.9%

Veliko Tarnovo

$44 4.4% 12.4% $4.9

Getting Around

Nis

$5.3 * 0.5%

Veliko Tarnovo

$31 3.1% 496% $26

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $392 in Nis versus $351 in Veliko Tarnovo. 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 7% higher in Veliko Tarnovo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Nis versus $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $244 – making Nis the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇸 Nis

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🕒 Local time

17:52 5:52 PM

18:52 6:52 PM

1 h ahead of Nis

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,470

71,150

💱 Currency

Serbian Dinar RSD din

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RSD – Serbian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇸 Serbian Dinar (din)

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to RSD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Nis Veliko Tarnovo 300 km

From you

Nis
Veliko Tarnovo

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

Nis vs Veliko Tarnovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nis costs about 2% more than Veliko Tarnovo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,534 per month in Nis and $1,509 in Veliko Tarnovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,023 in Nis and $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo. That's a gap of about 2%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 35% cheaper in Nis – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Veliko Tarnovo, where all-in costs run around $1,006, than in Nis at $1,023. In Veliko Tarnovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Nis it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Veliko Tarnovo costs $1,006 versus $1,023 in Nis. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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