Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Lovech

For one person, living is cheaper in Lovech: $968 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Lovech
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Lovech Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Lovech

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Lovech

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,191 in Plovdiv versus $968 in Lovech.

Plovdiv $1,191
Lovech $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in Plovdiv versus $1,505 in Lovech.

Plovdiv $1,852
Lovech $1,505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,512 in Plovdiv versus $2,041 in Lovech.

Plovdiv $2,512
Lovech $2,041

Living in Plovdiv is roughly 23% more expensive than in Lovech, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Plovdiv 12% lower, Lovech 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$13.78 BGN 23.97

-34.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 BGN 77.6

$34.37 BGN 59.8

29.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

$8.75 BGN 15.23

9.14%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$0.83 BGN 1.44

244.58%

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

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$0.69 BGN 1.20

157.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$0.48 BGN 0.83

214.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$1.01 BGN 1.76

152.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 BGN 7.55

$1.98 BGN 3.44

119.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.69 BGN 2.95

8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BGN 2.13

$0.94 BGN 1.63

30.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.76

$2.07 BGN 3.61

4.35%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$3.35 BGN 5.83

9.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 BGN 20.43

$10.24 BGN 17.82

14.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.59

$9.00 BGN 15.66

-6.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 BGN 24.16

$11.35 BGN 19.74

22.38%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$2.29 BGN 3.99

-28.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-13.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$2.13 BGN 3.71

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 BGN 4.41

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-1.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.66 BGN 2.88

-37.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.49 BGN 2.59

-26.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$0.99 BGN 1.73

17.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.92 BGN 1.61

-21.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$3.48 BGN 6.05

14.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.76

$6.93 BGN 12.06

-10.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.03 BGN 1.79

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$1.82 BGN 3.16

10.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-31.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.23 BGN 49.11

$24.56 BGN 42.73

14.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-27.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-15.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 BGN 17.65

$11.84 BGN 20.60

-14.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.67 BGN 2.90

1.20%

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

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

0.54%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

$22.7K BGN 39.5K

7.85%

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

$112 BGN 194

$101 BGN 176

10.53%

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

$18.47 BGN 32.13

$13.94 BGN 24.25

32.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 BGN 27.43

$12.02 BGN 20.92

31.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 BGN 70.8

$29.79 BGN 51.8

36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 BGN 35.41

$17.28 BGN 30.06

17.77%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 BGN 15.94

$8.70 BGN 15.14

5.29%

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

$507 BGN 883

$227 BGN 394

123.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 BGN 9,555

$5,829 BGN 10.1K

-5.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$57.0 BGN 99.2

20.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 BGN 74.0

$29.41 BGN 51.2

44.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 BGN 165

$70.2 BGN 122

35.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$72.9 BGN 127

44.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$326 BGN 568

64.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 675

$249 BGN 433

56.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 BGN 1,506

$545 BGN 948

58.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,166

$398 BGN 693

68.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,227 BGN 3,875

$1,307 BGN 2,275

70.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 BGN 2,683

$1,060 BGN 1,845

45.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 BGN 1,996

$618 BGN 1,075

85.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

3.25

-4.62%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 17, 2026

Last update for Lovech: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Lovech

$249 25.7% 35.9% $139

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.3%

Lovech

$249 25.7% 1.8% $4.6

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$170 14.3%

Lovech

$160 16.5% 5.7% $9.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Lovech

$127 13.1% 13% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.8%

Lovech

$103 10.7% 26.3% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Lovech

$47 4.9% 20% $12

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Lovech

$33 3.4% 4.6% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $537 in Plovdiv and $326 in Lovech. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Plovdiv pays 86% 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: $45.00 in Plovdiv vs $34.00 in Lovech for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $253 vs $249 per month, with Lovech cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Lovech

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

37,297

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Plovdiv Lovech 110 km

From you

Plovdiv
Lovech

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 Lovech: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Plovdiv and Lovech differ by about 23% in total monthly costs ($1,191 vs $968 including rent). Lovech is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 86% higher in Plovdiv, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $537 in Plovdiv versus $326 in Lovech. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $1,191 per month in Plovdiv versus $968 in Lovech – a 23% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Lovech runs roughly 15% less than in Plovdiv. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $968 in Lovech versus $1,191 in Plovdiv, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Lovech but tight or insufficient in Plovdiv. The gap between the two cities makes Lovech 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 Lovech 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 Lovech gentler on the wallet – expenses run 23% less than in Plovdiv. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.