Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pleven and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $893 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$893

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pleven and in Lisbon

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $893 in Pleven versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Pleven $893
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,425 in Pleven versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Pleven $1,425
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,956 in Pleven versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Pleven $1,956
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Pleven costs roughly 59% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Pleven is 34% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 BGN 14.64

$17.04 €15.15

-50.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.36 BGN 51.1

$62.3 €55.4

-52.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 BGN 10.90

$11.02 €9.80

-43.19%

Cappuccino

$2.09 BGN 3.64

$3.12 €2.78

-33.01%

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

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$2.27 €2.02

-44.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.74 €1.55

-35.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 BGN 3.84

$3.42 €3.04

-35.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 BGN 4.00

$3.74 €3.33

-38.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.83

$1.17 €1.04

39.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$1.86 €1.66

-38.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$1.54 €1.37

8.44%

Eggs

$3.58 BGN 6.23

$4.06 €3.61

-11.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 BGN 15.93

$12.91 €11.49

-29.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 BGN 14.33

$7.90 €7.03

4.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 BGN 24.70

$17.64 €15.69

-19.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$2.26 €2.01

-43.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.75 €1.55

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.89

$1.89 €1.68

17.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 BGN 3.87

$2.56 €2.27

-13.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.03

$1.85 €1.64

-36.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.97 €1.75

-45.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$1.45 €1.29

-26.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$0.77 €0.69

-7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 BGN 6.30

$6.71 €5.97

-46.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 BGN 11.18

$5.67 €5.04

13.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$1.37 €1.22

-43.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$2.11 €1.88

-43.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$2.32 €2.07

-60.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.64 BGN 70.7

$44.43 €39.52

-8.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 BGN 2.79

$3.95 €3.51

-59.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$1.05 €0.93

-19.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 BGN 21.25

$17.15 €15.26

-28.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$2.19 €1.95

-23.74%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

$33.8K €30.0K

-11.20%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$38.3K €34.0K

-36.12%

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

$95.9 BGN 167

$164 €146

-41.43%

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

$16.22 BGN 28.22

$18.48 €16.43

-12.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.87 BGN 18.91

$32.96 €29.32

-67.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.76 BGN 62.2

$45.87 €40.80

-22.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 BGN 41.88

$18.68 €16.61

28.85%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 BGN 15.33

$9.75 €8.67

-9.64%

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

$519 BGN 903

$684 €608

-24.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,309 BGN 11.0K

$17.6K €15.7K

-64.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.92 BGN 72.9

$104 €92.3

-59.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 BGN 50.1

$46.20 €41.09

-37.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 BGN 165

$99.7 €88.7

-4.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

$125 €111

-17.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 579

$1,589 €1,414

-79.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 BGN 302

$1,169 €1,040

-85.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 989

$2,851 €2,536

-80.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 580

$1,993 €1,773

-83.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,454 BGN 2,530

$7,793 €6,932

-81.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 BGN 1,977

$4,418 €3,930

-74.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 BGN 1,591

$1,600 €1,423

-42.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

3.85

-26.75%

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

Last update for Pleven: October 20, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pleven

$236 26.4%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 15.8% $37

Accommodation & Living

Pleven

$174 19.4%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 574% $995

Eating Out

Pleven

$136 15.3%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 81.3% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pleven

$123 13.8%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 75% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Pleven

$121 13.5%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 39.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Pleven

$53 6%

Lisbon

$65 3% 22.5% $12

Getting Around

Pleven

$50 5.6%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 25.4% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $333 in Pleven and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 75% 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: $29.00 in Pleven vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $273 per month, with Pleven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Pleven

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

11:48 11:48 AM

2 h behind Pleven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,567

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Pleven Lisbon 2,860 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Pleven
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pleven and Lisbon differ by about 147% in total monthly costs ($893 vs $2,202 including rent). Pleven is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $333 in Pleven versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $519 in Pleven versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 16% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $893 in Pleven versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Pleven but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Pleven 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, Pleven and Lisbon 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 Pleven gentler on the wallet – expenses run 147% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.