Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Pleven

For one person, living is cheaper in Pleven: $887 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Pleven
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Pleven Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Pleven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Pleven

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

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Plovdiv vs $887 in Pleven, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,227
Pleven $887

A couple spends around $1,874 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,418 in Pleven, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,874
Pleven $1,418

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,948 in Pleven, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,522
Pleven $1,948

Plovdiv costs about 38% more than Pleven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Plovdiv and Pleven are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 10% lower, Pleven 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 BGN 16.03

$8.72 BGN 15.26

5.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.67 BGN 79.9

$29.16 BGN 51.0

56.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 BGN 16.51

$6.35 BGN 11.12

48.50%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.01

$2.10 BGN 3.67

36.19%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$1.27 BGN 2.22

38.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.77

$1.15 BGN 2.02

37.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.44

$2.18 BGN 3.81

16.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 BGN 7.61

$2.24 BGN 3.93

94.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.17

$1.64 BGN 2.88

10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.16 BGN 2.02

5.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.91

$1.71 BGN 2.99

30.41%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.59

$3.57 BGN 6.25

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.33

$8.93 BGN 15.63

30.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 BGN 14.96

$7.88 BGN 13.79

8.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 BGN 25.06

$14.28 BGN 24.99

0.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.84

$1.25 BGN 2.18

29.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.23

$1.99 BGN 3.48

-7.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.13 BGN 3.74

-9.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.61

$2.26 BGN 3.96

16.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$1.17 BGN 2.05

-6.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.07 BGN 1.88

-2.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$1.06 BGN 1.85

9.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.74 BGN 1.30

-4.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 BGN 6.82

$3.63 BGN 6.36

7.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 BGN 10.55

$6.37 BGN 11.14

-5.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$0.78 BGN 1.36

48.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.47

$1.13 BGN 1.97

75.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.84 BGN 1.47

-28.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.11 BGN 51.0

$40.38 BGN 70.7

-27.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-20.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.90 BGN 1.57

-32.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 BGN 18.30

$12.02 BGN 21.04

-12.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.64 BGN 2.86

3.66%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.1K

$29.4K BGN 51.5K

3.05%

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

$24.6K BGN 43.1K

$24.9K BGN 43.7K

-1.31%

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

$113 BGN 197

$95.6 BGN 167

17.91%

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

$18.40 BGN 32.20

$15.87 BGN 27.78

15.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.41 BGN 26.96

$10.80 BGN 18.89

42.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 BGN 73.4

$35.45 BGN 62.0

18.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 BGN 36.07

$24.29 BGN 42.52

-15.15%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 BGN 16.29

$8.66 BGN 15.16

7.51%

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

$599 BGN 1,047

$505 BGN 884

18.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 BGN 9,456

$6,321 BGN 11.1K

-14.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$40.48 BGN 70.9

66.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 BGN 73.1

$28.02 BGN 49.04

49.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 BGN 170

$94.0 BGN 165

3.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 178

$100 BGN 176

1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 BGN 968

$331 BGN 578

67.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 734

$171 BGN 300

145.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 BGN 1,539

$568 BGN 993

55.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 BGN 1,160

$333 BGN 582

99.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,228 BGN 3,899

$1,450 BGN 2,537

53.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,512 BGN 2,646

$1,133 BGN 1,982

33.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 BGN 2,033

$939 BGN 1,643

23.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.82

9.93%

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 25, 2026

Last update for Pleven: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$420 34.2%

Pleven

$171 19.3% 59.2% $248

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$255 20.8%

Pleven

$234 26.4% 8.3% $21

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$171 13.9%

Pleven

$139 15.7% 18.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$147 12%

Pleven

$122 13.8% 16.6% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.3%

Pleven

$118 13.3% 14.6% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Pleven

$53 6% 12.8% $7.8

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 2.9%

Pleven

$50 5.6% 39% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Plovdiv versus $331 in Pleven. 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 24% 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 $46 in Plovdiv versus $29 in Pleven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $234 – making Pleven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Pleven

🕒 Local time

11:12 11:12 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

111,567

💱 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

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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 Pleven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,227 in Plovdiv, $887 in Pleven – Pleven comes out roughly 28% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,840 per month in Plovdiv and $1,331 in Pleven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pleven, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Groceries cost about 9% more in Plovdiv, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Plovdiv and $29 in Pleven. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Pleven, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Plovdiv at $1,227. In Pleven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Pleven – 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 Pleven. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plovdiv makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.