Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Gabrovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Gabrovo: $989 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Gabrovo
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Gabrovo Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Gabrovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Gabrovo

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

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Plovdiv vs $989 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,227
Gabrovo $989

A couple spends around $1,874 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,472 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,874
Gabrovo $1,472

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,954 in Gabrovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,522
Gabrovo $1,954

Plovdiv costs about 24% more than Gabrovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Plovdiv and Gabrovo are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 10% lower, Gabrovo 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 BGN 16.03

$7.41 BGN 12.97

23.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.67 BGN 79.9

$31.82 BGN 55.7

43.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 BGN 16.51

$15.87 BGN 27.77

-40.58%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.01

$1.54 BGN 2.69

85.71%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$1.21 BGN 2.12

45.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.77

$0.65 BGN 1.13

143.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.44

$1.55 BGN 2.71

63.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 BGN 7.61

$2.54 BGN 4.44

71.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.17

$1.69 BGN 2.96

7.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$0.92 BGN 1.61

32.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.91

$1.92 BGN 3.36

16.15%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.59

$3.14 BGN 5.49

20.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.33

$8.57 BGN 15.00

35.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 BGN 14.96

$7.73 BGN 13.53

10.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 BGN 25.06

$11.72 BGN 20.51

22.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.84

$1.55 BGN 2.71

4.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.23

$1.73 BGN 3.02

6.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$1.88 BGN 3.29

2.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.61

$2.19 BGN 3.84

20.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$1.05 BGN 1.84

3.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.14 BGN 1.99

-8.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$1.01 BGN 1.78

14.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.65 BGN 1.15

9.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 BGN 6.82

$3.37 BGN 5.90

15.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 BGN 10.55

$8.63 BGN 15.11

-30.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$0.94 BGN 1.65

23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.47

$1.47 BGN 2.57

34.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.82 BGN 1.44

-26.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.11 BGN 51.0

$18.48 BGN 32.34

57.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$1.33 BGN 2.33

-3.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$1.12 BGN 1.96

-45.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 BGN 18.30

$11.80 BGN 20.64

-11.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.56 BGN 2.73

8.97%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.1K

$36.7K BGN 64.2K

-17.26%

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

$24.6K BGN 43.1K

$32.2K BGN 56.3K

-23.44%

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

$113 BGN 197

$155 BGN 271

-27.08%

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

$18.40 BGN 32.20

$17.08 BGN 29.90

7.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.41 BGN 26.96

$22.04 BGN 38.56

-30.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 BGN 73.4

$23.10 BGN 40.42

81.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 BGN 36.07

$14.38 BGN 25.17

43.32%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 BGN 16.29

$5.78 BGN 10.12

61.07%

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

$599 BGN 1,047

$86.7 BGN 152

590.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 BGN 9,456

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$47.27 BGN 82.7

42.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 BGN 73.1

$46.31 BGN 81.0

-9.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 BGN 170

$79.0 BGN 138

22.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 178

$109 BGN 191

-6.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 BGN 968

$301 BGN 528

83.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 734

$235 BGN 411

78.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 BGN 1,539

$454 BGN 795

93.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 BGN 1,160

$349 BGN 612

89.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,228 BGN 3,899

$1,133 BGN 1,983

96.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,512 BGN 2,646

$952 BGN 1,666

58.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 BGN 2,033

$899 BGN 1,574

29.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.95

5.08%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 25, 2026

Last update for Gabrovo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$420 34.2%

Gabrovo

$235 23.8% 44% $185

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$255 20.8%

Gabrovo

$225 22.7% 11.9% $30

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$171 13.9%

Gabrovo

$146 14.7% 14.8% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$147 12%

Gabrovo

$194 19.6% 32.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.3%

Gabrovo

$127 12.8% 8.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Gabrovo

$35 3.5% 42.7% $26

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 2.9%

Gabrovo

$29 2.9% 19.9% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Plovdiv versus $301 in Gabrovo. 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 29% higher in Plovdiv. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Plovdiv versus $32 in Gabrovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $225 – making Gabrovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Gabrovo

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

59,611

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Plovdiv Gabrovo 93 km

From you

Plovdiv
Gabrovo

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 Gabrovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,227 in Plovdiv, $989 in Gabrovo – Gabrovo comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,840 per month in Plovdiv and $1,483 in Gabrovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Gabrovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,227 in Plovdiv and $989 in Gabrovo. That makes Gabrovo about 19% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Gabrovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Gabrovo, where all-in costs run around $989, than in Plovdiv at $1,227. In Gabrovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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