Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $911 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$911

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Popovo

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Plovdiv vs $911 in Popovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,191
Popovo $911

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,380 in Popovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,852
Popovo $1,380

A family of three spends $2,512 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,849 in Popovo, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,512
Popovo $1,849

Plovdiv costs about 31% more than Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Plovdiv and Popovo are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 12% lower, Popovo 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$8.53 BGN 14.84

5.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 BGN 77.6

$28.74 BGN 50.0

55.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

$7.04 BGN 12.25

35.65%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$1.16 BGN 2.02

146.55%

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

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$0.72 BGN 1.26

147.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$1.55 BGN 2.71

-2.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$2.52 BGN 4.39

1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 BGN 7.55

$4.27 BGN 7.42

1.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.44 BGN 2.51

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BGN 2.13

$1.03 BGN 1.79

19.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.76

$2.12 BGN 3.68

1.89%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$2.55 BGN 4.43

43.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 BGN 20.43

$6.81 BGN 11.84

72.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.59

$7.96 BGN 13.84

5.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 BGN 24.16

$13.99 BGN 24.34

-0.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.46 BGN 2.53

12.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.44 BGN 2.51

23.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$1.39 BGN 2.42

44.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 BGN 4.41

$2.13 BGN 3.70

18.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.05 BGN 1.82

-0.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.04 BGN 1.81

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.20 BGN 2.09

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.76 BGN 1.33

-5.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$3.82 BGN 6.65

4.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.76

$6.23 BGN 10.84

-0.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$0.84 BGN 1.46

40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$2.03 BGN 3.53

-0.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.84 BGN 1.46

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.23 BGN 49.11

$24.48 BGN 42.60

15.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$0.59 BGN 1.03

106.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.59 BGN 1.03

3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 BGN 17.65

$7.70 BGN 13.40

31.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.56 BGN 2.72

8.33%

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

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

$28.7K BGN 50.0K

6.81%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

$22.1K BGN 38.4K

10.97%

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

$112 BGN 194

$113 BGN 197

-1.69%

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

$18.47 BGN 32.13

$18.33 BGN 31.90

0.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 BGN 27.43

$15.37 BGN 26.75

2.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 BGN 70.8

$20.26 BGN 35.26

100.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 BGN 35.41

$17.14 BGN 29.83

18.73%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 BGN 15.94

$6.22 BGN 10.82

47.27%

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

$507 BGN 883

$518 BGN 901

-2.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 BGN 9,555

$5,408 BGN 9,410

1.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$50.7 BGN 88.3

35.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 BGN 74.0

$40.28 BGN 70.1

5.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 BGN 165

$69.7 BGN 121

36.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$46.17 BGN 80.3

127.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$328 BGN 571

63.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 675

$256 BGN 445

51.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 BGN 1,506

$547 BGN 952

58.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,166

$406 BGN 707

64.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,227 BGN 3,875

$1,337 BGN 2,326

66.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 BGN 2,683

$1,062 BGN 1,848

45.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 BGN 1,996

$1,261 BGN 2,194

-8.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

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

Last update for Plovdiv: October 17, 2026

Last update for Popovo: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Popovo

$256 28.1% 34.2% $133

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.3%

Popovo

$218 23.9% 14.1% $36

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$170 14.3%

Popovo

$134 14.7% 21.3% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Popovo

$147 16.2% 1% $1.4

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.8%

Popovo

$93 10.2% 33.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Popovo

$33 3.6% 44.6% $26

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Popovo

$31 3.4% 9.7% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Plovdiv versus $328 in Popovo. 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 10% higher in Popovo, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Plovdiv versus $29.00 in Popovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $218 – making Popovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

17:23 5:23 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

15,878

💱 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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Plovdiv Popovo 180 km

From you

Plovdiv
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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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Plovdiv, $911 in Popovo – roughly 31% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Plovdiv and $1,367 in Popovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Popovo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Popovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Plovdiv and $518 in Popovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Popovo, where all-in costs run around $911, than in Plovdiv at $1,191. In Popovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Plovdiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $911 in Popovo to $1,191 in Plovdiv. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Popovo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plovdiv makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.