Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pleven and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $889 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
Learn more

Pleven Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
Learn more

Belgrade Living Index

Jump to prices

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$889

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pleven and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $889 per month in Pleven vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Pleven $889
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,420 per month in Pleven vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Pleven $1,420
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,950 per month in Pleven vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Pleven $1,950
Belgrade $3,121

Pleven is about 43% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pleven sits 34% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.76 BGN 15.33

$13.15 RSD 1,373

-33.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.08 BGN 52.7

$57.5 RSD 6,009

-47.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.07 BGN 10.62

$13.38 RSD 1,397

-54.63%

Cappuccino

$2.16 BGN 3.79

$3.10 RSD 323

-30.32%

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

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$2.82 RSD 294

-53.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$2.22 RSD 232

-47.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.10 BGN 3.67

$3.47 RSD 363

-39.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 BGN 4.10

$3.96 RSD 413

-40.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.85

$1.38 RSD 144

18.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$1.13 RSD 118

-0.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.66 RSD 278

-36.84%

Eggs

$3.43 BGN 6.01

$2.78 RSD 290

23.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.21 BGN 16.12

$10.99 RSD 1,148

-16.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.93 BGN 13.87

$6.56 RSD 685

20.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.04 BGN 24.56

$15.07 RSD 1,574

-6.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.23 BGN 2.15

$1.66 RSD 174

-25.90%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 BGN 3.55

$1.79 RSD 187

13.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.69

$1.87 RSD 196

12.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 BGN 3.97

$3.03 RSD 316

-25.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.18 BGN 2.07

$0.92 RSD 96.5

28.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.88

$0.71 RSD 74.0

50.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$0.74 RSD 77.7

43.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 BGN 1.22

$0.74 RSD 77.3

-5.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 BGN 6.27

$4.61 RSD 482

-22.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 BGN 11.23

$8.81 RSD 920

-27.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 BGN 1.47

$0.89 RSD 92.9

-5.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$1.45 RSD 152

-22.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.61

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.41 BGN 70.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 BGN 2.72

$3.02 RSD 316

-48.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 BGN 1.50

$0.98 RSD 103

-12.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.14 BGN 21.24

$17.08 RSD 1,784

-28.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 BGN 2.79

$1.91 RSD 199

-16.23%

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

$29.5K BGN 51.6K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-4.96%

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

$25.4K BGN 44.5K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

3.16%

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

$98.1 BGN 172

$220 RSD 23.0K

-55.48%

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

$15.91 BGN 27.85

$24.41 RSD 2,549

-34.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.44 BGN 18.28

$35.64 RSD 3,722

-70.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.31 BGN 61.8

$41.20 RSD 4,303

-14.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.28 BGN 42.48

$22.60 RSD 2,361

7.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.65 BGN 15.14

$8.59 RSD 897

0.70%

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

$505 BGN 884

$424 RSD 44.3K

19.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,150 BGN 10.8K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-43.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.76 BGN 71.3

$111 RSD 11.6K

-63.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.23 BGN 49.40

$47.28 RSD 4,938

-40.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 BGN 162

$113 RSD 11.8K

-17.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 178

$157 RSD 16.4K

-35.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 597

$805 RSD 84.1K

-57.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$171 BGN 300

$546 RSD 57.0K

-68.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$563 BGN 986

$1,452 RSD 151.7K

-61.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 BGN 577

$931 RSD 97.2K

-64.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,450 BGN 2,538

$5,368 RSD 560.6K

-72.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,112 BGN 1,946

$3,155 RSD 329.5K

-64.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$932 BGN 1,631

$1,237 RSD 129.1K

-24.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.85

4.61

-38.18%

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

Last update for Pleven: October 12, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pleven

$233 26.2%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 3.3% $7.6

Accommodation & Living

Pleven

$171 19.3%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 219% $375

Eating Out

Pleven

$139 15.7%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 63.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pleven

$124 14%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 125% $156

Clothing & Footwear

Pleven

$118 13.3%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 62.4% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Pleven

$53 5.9%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 11% $5.8

Getting Around

Pleven

$50 5.6%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 84.1% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $341 in Pleven versus $805 in Belgrade. 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 33% higher in Belgrade, 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 $30.00 in Pleven versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $233 vs $241 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Pleven

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

22:20 10:20 PM

1 h behind Pleven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,567

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.58 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.55 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pleven Belgrade 370 km

From you

Pleven
Belgrade

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

Pleven vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $889 in Pleven, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,334 per month in Pleven and $2,331 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Pleven and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 3% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Pleven. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belgrade makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.