Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Cartagena

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $1,427 in Cartagena, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
Learn more

Plovdiv Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Cartagena
Learn more

Cartagena Living Index

Jump to prices

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Cartagena

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,427

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Cartagena

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Plovdiv versus $1,427 in Cartagena.

Plovdiv $1,194
Cartagena $1,427

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,842 in Plovdiv versus $2,095 in Cartagena.

Plovdiv $1,842
Cartagena $2,095

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,489 in Plovdiv versus $2,762 in Cartagena.

Plovdiv $2,489
Cartagena $2,762

Living in Plovdiv costs roughly 16% less than in Cartagena, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Plovdiv is 12% below, Cartagena is 6% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 BGN 16.15

$13.84 €12.31

-32.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.41 BGN 77.3

$55.0 €48.90

-19.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 BGN 16.95

$7.60 €6.76

28.16%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 4.99

$2.56 €2.27

12.11%

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

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$2.45 €2.18

-29.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.63

$1.84 €1.64

-17.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.42

$3.43 €3.05

-25.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 BGN 7.38

$3.98 €3.54

6.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$1.21 €1.07

45.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.18 €1.05

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.78

$2.55 €2.26

-14.90%

Eggs

$3.76 BGN 6.53

$3.96 €3.52

-5.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 BGN 20.24

$12.91 €11.48

-9.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 BGN 14.67

$6.94 €6.18

21.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 BGN 24.67

$18.67 €16.60

-24.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.39 €2.13

-31.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 BGN 3.12

$2.52 €2.24

-28.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.61 €1.43

22.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BGN 4.44

$3.09 €2.75

-17.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.25 €1.11

-13.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.24 €1.10

-15.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$1.57 €1.40

-22.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$0.69 €0.62

4.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BGN 7.00

$5.64 €5.02

-28.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 BGN 10.63

$6.24 €5.55

-2.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.25 €1.11

-9.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$1.13 €1.00

84.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.43 €1.27

-61.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.22 BGN 49.10

$11.14 €9.91

153.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 BGN 2.22

$5.50 €4.90

-76.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$2.25 €2.00

-73.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 BGN 18.00

$27.49 €24.45

-62.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.77 €1.58

-1.69%

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

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

$35.1K €31.2K

-13.61%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

$30.2K €26.8K

-19.20%

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

$112 BGN 195

$210 €187

-46.61%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$19.74 €17.56

-6.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.48 BGN 26.94

$28.70 €25.53

-46.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.07 BGN 71.5

$41.14 €36.59

-0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 BGN 35.26

$12.80 €11.39

58.36%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 BGN 15.73

$7.70 €6.85

17.40%

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

$522 BGN 907

$416 €370

25.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,424 BGN 9,438

$2,726 €2,425

98.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 BGN 120

$47.17 €41.96

46.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 BGN 72.3

$35.38 €31.47

17.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 BGN 166

$61.1 €54.3

56.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 182

$101 €89.7

3.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$591 €525

-9.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 BGN 677

$492 €438

-20.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 BGN 1,516

$836 €743

4.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BGN 1,117

$708 €630

-9.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,230 BGN 3,880

$1,770 €1,574

25.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 BGN 2,693

$1,433 €1,275

8.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,156 BGN 2,012

$1,720 €1,530

-32.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

4.06

-23.65%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Last update for Cartagena: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$389 32.6%

Cartagena

$492 34.5% 26.5% $103

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.2%

Cartagena

$270 18.9% 6.7% $17

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$172 14.4%

Cartagena

$206 14.5% 20% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Cartagena

$258 18.1% 76.9% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.7%

Cartagena

$110 7.7% 21.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Cartagena

$57 4% 4.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Cartagena

$34 2.4% 3.2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Plovdiv and $591 in Cartagena. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cartagena pays 49% 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: $44.00 in Plovdiv vs $55.0 in Cartagena for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $270 per month, with Plovdiv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇪🇸 Cartagena

🕒 Local time

01:34 1:34 AM

00:34 12:34 AM

1 h behind Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

218,050

💱 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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plovdiv Cartagena 2,240 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Plovdiv
Cartagena

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 Cartagena: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plovdiv wins on cost – living expenses run 20% lower than in Cartagena. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Plovdiv the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Cartagena. 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: $537 in Plovdiv versus $591 in Cartagena. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Plovdiv – a meal for two runs $44.00 versus $55.0 in Cartagena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,194 per month in Plovdiv versus $1,427 in Cartagena – a 20% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,194 in Plovdiv versus $1,427 in Cartagena, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Plovdiv but tight or insufficient in Cartagena. The gap between the two cities makes Plovdiv the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Plovdiv delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,194 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Plovdiv hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Plovdiv and Cartagena 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 Plovdiv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 20% less than in Cartagena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.