Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Blagoevgrad

For one person, living is cheaper in Blagoevgrad: $827 a month against $1,234 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Blagoevgrad
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Blagoevgrad Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,234

/mo nomad

Blagoevgrad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$827

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Blagoevgrad

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

A single person spends $1,234 per month in Plovdiv vs $827 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,234
Blagoevgrad $827

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,307 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,888
Blagoevgrad $1,307

A family of three spends $2,542 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,787 in Blagoevgrad, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,542
Blagoevgrad $1,787

Plovdiv costs about 49% more than Blagoevgrad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Plovdiv and Blagoevgrad are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 9% lower, Blagoevgrad 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 BGN 17.36

$11.03 BGN 19.30

-10.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.76 BGN 81.8

$33.80 BGN 59.2

38.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 BGN 16.67

$10.13 BGN 17.74

-5.92%

Cappuccino

$2.88 BGN 5.05

$1.77 BGN 3.10

62.71%

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

$1.91 BGN 3.34

$1.33 BGN 2.32

43.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BGN 2.72

$0.88 BGN 1.53

76.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 BGN 4.62

$2.06 BGN 3.60

28.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 8.02

$2.03 BGN 3.55

125.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.52 BGN 2.66

21.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$0.83 BGN 1.44

40.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BGN 3.96

$1.23 BGN 2.15

83.74%

Eggs

$3.57 BGN 6.25

$2.21 BGN 3.87

61.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.34

$7.53 BGN 13.18

54.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 BGN 15.27

$4.82 BGN 8.43

81.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 BGN 25.09

$3.44 BGN 6.02

316.86%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.89

$1.62 BGN 2.83

1.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 BGN 3.16

$1.90 BGN 3.32

-4.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.15 BGN 2.01

66.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 BGN 4.72

$2.65 BGN 4.64

1.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$0.64 BGN 1.13

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 BGN 1.78

$0.51 BGN 0.90

100.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$0.58 BGN 1.02

113.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.37

$0.63 BGN 1.11

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 BGN 7.14

$3.18 BGN 5.56

28.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 BGN 10.80

$6.69 BGN 11.71

-7.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.96

$1.02 BGN 1.78

9.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 BGN 3.39

$1.18 BGN 2.07

64.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.00 BGN 50.8

$20.40 BGN 35.71

42.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 BGN 2.78

$1.16 BGN 2.03

37.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.67 BGN 1.18

22.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.87 BGN 19.02

$10.34 BGN 18.09

5.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.07

$1.51 BGN 2.65

15.89%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.4K

$30.4K BGN 53.2K

0.42%

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

$24.8K BGN 43.4K

$23.8K BGN 41.6K

4.43%

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

$111 BGN 195

$93.4 BGN 163

19.20%

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

$18.88 BGN 33.04

$16.62 BGN 29.08

13.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.50 BGN 27.12

$10.72 BGN 18.76

44.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.89 BGN 75.1

$20.35 BGN 35.62

110.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 BGN 35.35

$8.34 BGN 14.60

142.21%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 BGN 15.59

$4.65 BGN 8.14

91.61%

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

$590 BGN 1,032

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K BGN 19.3K

$7,819 BGN 13.7K

41.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 BGN 118

$23.11 BGN 40.44

191.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 72.3

$14.27 BGN 24.97

189.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 BGN 170

$75.9 BGN 133

28.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 185

$86.8 BGN 152

21.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 BGN 963

$330 BGN 577

66.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 BGN 726

$230 BGN 403

80.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 BGN 1,509

$535 BGN 936

61.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 BGN 1,143

$445 BGN 779

46.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,270 BGN 3,973

$1,597 BGN 2,795

42.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 BGN 2,734

$1,087 BGN 1,903

43.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,119 BGN 1,958

$988 BGN 1,728

13.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.74

13.14%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 31, 2026

Last update for Blagoevgrad: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$415 33.6%

Blagoevgrad

$230 27.9% 44.5% $185

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$257 20.8%

Blagoevgrad

$165 20% 35.6% $91

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$179 14.5%

Blagoevgrad

$163 19.7% 8.8% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 11.8%

Blagoevgrad

$121 14.6% 17.1% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.4%

Blagoevgrad

$90 10.9% 35.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Blagoevgrad

$30 3.6% 51.1% $31

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$37 3%

Blagoevgrad

$28 3.4% 24.6% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $550 in Plovdiv versus $330 in Blagoevgrad. 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 13% higher in Plovdiv, 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 $47 in Plovdiv versus $34 in Blagoevgrad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $257 vs $165 – making Blagoevgrad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Blagoevgrad

🕒 Local time

16:38 4:38 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

75,079

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Plovdiv Blagoevgrad 140 km

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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

Plovdiv vs Blagoevgrad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Plovdiv is pricier by about 49%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,851 per month in Plovdiv and $1,240 in Blagoevgrad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Blagoevgrad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $550 in Plovdiv.

Public transport costs about 30% less in Blagoevgrad. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 55% more in Plovdiv, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Blagoevgrad, where all-in costs run around $827, than in Plovdiv at $1,234. In Blagoevgrad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Plovdiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $827 in Blagoevgrad to $1,234 in Plovdiv. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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