Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pleven and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $893 a month against $1,411 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 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
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$893

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pleven and in Varna

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

A single person spends $893 per month in Pleven vs $1,411 in Varna, rent included.

Pleven $893
Varna $1,411

A couple spends around $1,425 per month in Pleven vs $2,223 in Varna, rent included.

Pleven $1,425
Varna $2,223

A family of three spends $1,956 per month in Pleven vs $3,035 in Varna, rent included.

Pleven $1,956
Varna $3,035

Pleven is about 37% cheaper than Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pleven sits 34% below the global median, while Varna is 4% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.42 BGN 14.64

$12.74 BGN 22.18

-33.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.36 BGN 51.1

$59.4 BGN 103

-50.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.26 BGN 10.90

$10.24 BGN 17.81

-38.87%

Cappuccino

$2.09 BGN 3.64

$2.92 BGN 5.08

-28.42%

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

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-35.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-31.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 BGN 3.84

$2.82 BGN 4.90

-21.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 BGN 4.00

$3.48 BGN 6.06

-33.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.83

$1.95 BGN 3.39

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$1.24 BGN 2.16

-8.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$2.67 BGN 4.64

-37.45%

Eggs

$3.58 BGN 6.23

$3.42 BGN 5.96

4.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.15 BGN 15.93

$11.35 BGN 19.74

-19.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.23 BGN 14.33

$9.31 BGN 16.21

-11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.20 BGN 24.70

$14.35 BGN 24.98

-1.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-36.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-4.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.89

$2.11 BGN 3.67

5.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 BGN 3.87

$2.92 BGN 5.08

-23.97%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.03

$1.28 BGN 2.23

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.04 BGN 1.81

3.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$1.02 BGN 1.78

3.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.23

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 BGN 6.30

$4.03 BGN 7.01

-10.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.42 BGN 11.18

$8.97 BGN 15.61

-28.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-34.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 BGN 2.08

$1.79 BGN 3.12

-33.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$0.88 BGN 1.52

4.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.64 BGN 70.7

$28.86 BGN 50.2

40.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 BGN 2.79

$1.57 BGN 2.74

2.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 BGN 1.48

$0.90 BGN 1.56

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.21 BGN 21.25

$12.06 BGN 20.99

1.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.67 BGN 2.90

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-4.02%

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

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

-1.32%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

-0.34%

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

$95.9 BGN 167

$177 BGN 307

-45.68%

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

$16.22 BGN 28.22

$21.08 BGN 36.67

-23.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.87 BGN 18.91

$15.97 BGN 27.80

-31.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.76 BGN 62.2

$51.2 BGN 89.0

-30.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.07 BGN 41.88

$19.51 BGN 33.94

23.37%

Cinema Ticket

$8.81 BGN 15.33

$9.52 BGN 16.56

-7.46%

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

$519 BGN 903

$511 BGN 890

1.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,309 BGN 11.0K

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

0.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.92 BGN 72.9

$65.1 BGN 113

-35.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.77 BGN 50.1

$33.59 BGN 58.5

-14.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.8 BGN 165

$102 BGN 178

-7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

-0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 579

$645 BGN 1,122

-48.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$174 BGN 302

$477 BGN 830

-63.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 989

$1,365 BGN 2,376

-58.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$333 BGN 580

$914 BGN 1,590

-63.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,454 BGN 2,530

$2,941 BGN 5,118

-50.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 BGN 1,977

$2,142 BGN 3,726

-46.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$914 BGN 1,591

$1,271 BGN 2,211

-28.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

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

Last update for Pleven: October 20, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Pleven

$236 26.4%

Varna

$272 19.3% 15.4% $36

Accommodation & Living

Pleven

$174 19.4%

Varna

$477 33.8% 175% $304

Eating Out

Pleven

$136 15.3%

Varna

$203 14.4% 48.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pleven

$123 13.8%

Varna

$214 15.1% 73.7% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Pleven

$121 13.5%

Varna

$137 9.7% 13.2% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Pleven

$53 6%

Varna

$70 5% 31.5% $17

Getting Around

Pleven

$50 5.6%

Varna

$38 2.7% 23.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Pleven versus $645 in Varna. 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 39% higher in Varna, 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 $29.00 in Pleven versus $59.0 in Varna. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $272 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Pleven

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

19:05 7:05 PM

Same time as Pleven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,567

348,058

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pleven Varna 270 km

From you

Pleven
Varna

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 Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $893 in Pleven, $1,411 in Varna – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,340 per month in Pleven and $2,117 in Varna. 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.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Varna, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $29.00 in Pleven and $59.0 in Varna. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $893, than in Varna at $1,411. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Varna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $893 in Pleven to $1,411 in Varna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Varna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.