Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv 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 Plovdiv and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,194 in Plovdiv versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Plovdiv $1,194
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,842 in Plovdiv versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Plovdiv $1,842
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,489 in Plovdiv versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Plovdiv $2,489
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Plovdiv costs roughly 46% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Plovdiv is 12% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.28 BGN 16.15

$16.50 €14.67

-43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.41 BGN 77.3

$61.3 €54.5

-27.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.74 BGN 16.95

$11.27 €10.03

-13.58%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 4.99

$3.06 €2.72

-6.21%

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

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$2.26 €2.01

-23.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.63

$1.73 €1.54

-12.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.42

$3.39 €3.02

-25.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 BGN 7.38

$3.40 €3.02

24.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$1.12 €1.00

57.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.86 €1.65

-36.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 BGN 3.78

$1.53 €1.36

41.83%

Eggs

$3.76 BGN 6.53

$3.96 €3.53

-5.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.63 BGN 20.24

$12.76 €11.35

-8.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 BGN 14.67

$7.90 €7.02

6.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 BGN 24.67

$16.97 €15.09

-16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.27 €2.02

-27.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.80 BGN 3.12

$1.75 €1.55

2.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.85 €1.64

7.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 BGN 4.44

$2.57 €2.28

-0.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.86 €1.65

-41.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$2.02 €1.80

-48.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$1.44 €1.28

-15.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.25

$0.82 €0.73

-12.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 BGN 7.00

$6.56 €5.83

-38.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.11 BGN 10.63

$5.62 €5.00

8.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.28 €1.14

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$2.07 €1.84

0.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$2.35 €2.09

-76.60%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.22 BGN 49.10

$44.18 €39.30

-36.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 BGN 2.22

$3.99 €3.55

-67.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$1.09 €0.97

-44.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.34 BGN 18.00

$16.64 €14.81

-37.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$2.28 €2.03

-23.68%

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

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

$33.7K €30.0K

-9.93%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

$39.3K €35.0K

-37.98%

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

$112 BGN 195

$167 €149

-33.05%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$18.80 €16.72

-1.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.48 BGN 26.94

$33.09 €29.43

-53.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.07 BGN 71.5

$46.01 €40.93

-10.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.27 BGN 35.26

$19.19 €17.07

5.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.04 BGN 15.73

$9.84 €8.75

-8.13%

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

$522 BGN 907

$677 €602

-22.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,424 BGN 9,438

$16.9K €15.1K

-67.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.1 BGN 120

$101 €90.1

-31.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.56 BGN 72.3

$45.76 €40.70

-9.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.5 BGN 166

$100.0 €88.9

-4.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 182

$123 €109

-14.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$1,614 €1,436

-66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 BGN 677

$1,197 €1,065

-67.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$871 BGN 1,516

$2,862 €2,545

-69.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$642 BGN 1,117

$1,990 €1,770

-67.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,230 BGN 3,880

$7,577 €6,740

-70.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 BGN 2,693

$4,307 €3,831

-64.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,156 BGN 2,012

$1,588 €1,412

-27.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

3.85

-19.48%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$389 32.6%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 208% $808

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 6.4% $16

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$172 14.4%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 40.8% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 50.2% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.7%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 18.9% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Lisbon

$66 3% 11% $6.5

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 81.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Plovdiv and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 37% 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 $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $269 per month, with Plovdiv cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

22:59 10:59 PM

20:59 8:59 PM

2 h behind Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

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 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

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Between locations

Plovdiv Lisbon 2,870 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Plovdiv
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

Plovdiv vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plovdiv and Lisbon differ by about 86% in total monthly costs ($1,194 vs $2,223 including rent). Plovdiv is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 37% 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: $537 in Plovdiv versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $522 in Plovdiv versus $677 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,194 in Plovdiv versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Plovdiv but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Plovdiv 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, Plovdiv 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 Plovdiv gentler on the wallet – expenses run 86% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.