Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Ruse

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $990 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
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Ruse Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Ruse

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Plovdiv vs $990 in Ruse, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,191
Ruse $990

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,470 in Ruse, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,852
Ruse $1,470

A family of three spends $2,512 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,949 in Ruse, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,512
Ruse $1,949

Plovdiv costs about 20% more than Ruse, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Plovdiv and Ruse are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 12% lower, Ruse 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$9.07 BGN 15.77

-0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 BGN 77.6

$34.26 BGN 59.6

30.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$1.68 BGN 2.93

70.24%

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

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$1.48 BGN 2.58

20.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$0.83 BGN 1.45

81.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$1.76 BGN 3.07

44.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 BGN 7.55

$2.80 BGN 4.88

55.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.75 BGN 3.04

5.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BGN 2.13

$1.01 BGN 1.76

21.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.76

$2.28 BGN 3.96

-5.26%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$2.55 BGN 4.43

43.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 BGN 20.43

$8.93 BGN 15.54

31.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.59

$7.77 BGN 13.52

7.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 BGN 24.16

$14.42 BGN 25.10

-3.68%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.40 BGN 2.44

17.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.85 BGN 3.21

-3.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 BGN 4.41

$2.02 BGN 3.52

25.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.08 BGN 1.87

-3.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.06 BGN 1.84

2.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-4.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.66 BGN 1.15

9.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$3.40 BGN 5.91

17.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.76

$6.12 BGN 10.66

0.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.13 BGN 1.97

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$1.17 BGN 2.04

71.79%

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

$15.93 BGN 27.71

77.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.25 BGN 2.17

-2.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.61 BGN 1.06

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 BGN 17.65

$10.22 BGN 17.79

-0.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.51 BGN 2.63

11.92%

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

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

1.71%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

8.45%

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

$112 BGN 194

$104 BGN 182

6.93%

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

$18.47 BGN 32.13

$17.91 BGN 31.17

3.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 BGN 27.43

$12.89 BGN 22.44

22.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 BGN 70.8

$31.68 BGN 55.1

28.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 BGN 35.41

$8.80 BGN 15.32

131.25%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 BGN 15.94

$5.60 BGN 9.74

63.57%

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

$507 BGN 883

$518 BGN 902

-2.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 BGN 9,555

$5,381 BGN 9,363

2.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$50.9 BGN 88.6

35.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 BGN 74.0

$28.15 BGN 48.99

51.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 BGN 165

$72.0 BGN 125

31.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$87.2 BGN 152

20.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$348 BGN 606

54.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 675

$305 BGN 531

27.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 BGN 1,506

$526 BGN 914

64.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,166

$409 BGN 712

63.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,227 BGN 3,875

$1,660 BGN 2,889

34.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 BGN 2,683

$1,210 BGN 2,105

27.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 BGN 1,996

$966 BGN 1,681

18.75%

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 Ruse: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Ruse

$305 30.9% 21.3% $83

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.3%

Ruse

$230 23.3% 9% $23

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$170 14.3%

Ruse

$145 14.7% 14.5% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Ruse

$135 13.7% 7.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.8%

Ruse

$107 10.8% 23.4% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Ruse

$43 4.3% 27.3% $16

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Ruse

$24 2.4% 32.1% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Plovdiv versus $348 in Ruse. 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 19% 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 $45.00 in Plovdiv versus $34.00 in Ruse. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $230 – making Ruse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Ruse

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

159,798

💱 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 Ruse 210 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 Ruse: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Plovdiv, $990 in Ruse – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Plovdiv and $1,485 in Ruse. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 77% less in Ruse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ruse, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Plovdiv at $1,191. In Ruse 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 $990 in Ruse 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 Ruse. 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.