Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Samokov

For one person, living is cheaper in Samokov: $1,040 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Samokov
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Samokov Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Samokov

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,040

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Samokov

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

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,040 in Samokov, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,227
Samokov $1,040

A couple spends around $1,874 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,626 in Samokov, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,874
Samokov $1,626

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Plovdiv vs $2,211 in Samokov, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,522
Samokov $2,211

Plovdiv costs about 18% more than Samokov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Plovdiv and Samokov are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 10% lower, Samokov 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 BGN 16.12

$9.39 BGN 16.53

-2.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.67 BGN 80.4

$45.86 BGN 80.7

-0.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 BGN 16.60

$9.56 BGN 16.82

-1.36%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.04

$2.89 BGN 5.09

-1.04%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.10

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.79

$1.52 BGN 2.68

3.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.47

$2.64 BGN 4.65

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 BGN 7.65

$4.26 BGN 7.50

2.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.19

$1.80 BGN 3.16

0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 BGN 2.14

$1.20 BGN 2.11

1.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.93

$2.22 BGN 3.91

0.45%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.63

$3.57 BGN 6.27

5.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.45

$11.67 BGN 20.54

-0.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 BGN 15.05

$8.22 BGN 14.46

4.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 BGN 25.20

$13.86 BGN 24.39

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.86

$1.72 BGN 3.02

-5.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.24

$1.87 BGN 3.29

-1.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.39

$1.94 BGN 3.41

-0.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.63

$2.65 BGN 4.66

-0.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.92

$1.04 BGN 1.83

4.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$1.09 BGN 1.92

-4.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$1.22 BGN 2.14

-4.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-1.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 BGN 6.86

$4.13 BGN 7.27

-5.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 BGN 10.61

$6.04 BGN 10.64

-0.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.04

$1.13 BGN 2.00

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.49

$2.07 BGN 3.64

-4.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.78 BGN 1.38

-23.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.11 BGN 51.2

$29.05 BGN 51.1

0.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.27

$1.27 BGN 2.24

1.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.08

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-6.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 BGN 18.40

$10.14 BGN 17.85

3.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.99

$1.74 BGN 3.06

-2.30%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.4K

$30.3K BGN 53.3K

0.19%

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

$24.6K BGN 43.3K

0.07%

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

$113 BGN 198

$114 BGN 201

-1.45%

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

$18.40 BGN 32.39

$18.73 BGN 32.97

-1.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.41 BGN 27.11

$15.22 BGN 26.78

1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 BGN 73.8

$31.51 BGN 55.5

33.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 BGN 36.28

$18.93 BGN 33.32

8.87%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 BGN 16.39

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

$599 BGN 1,053

$584 BGN 1,028

2.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 BGN 9,510

$5,533 BGN 9,738

-2.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$68.2 BGN 120

-1.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 BGN 73.6

$41.21 BGN 72.5

1.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 BGN 171

$96.7 BGN 170

0.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 179

$103 BGN 182

-1.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 BGN 974

$344 BGN 606

60.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 738

$240 BGN 423

74.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 BGN 1,548

$541 BGN 952

62.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 BGN 1,167

$370 BGN 652

78.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,228 BGN 3,921

$1,404 BGN 2,471

58.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,512 BGN 2,661

$1,108 BGN 1,950

36.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 BGN 2,044

$742 BGN 1,306

56.60%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Samokov: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$420 34.2%

Samokov

$240 23.1% 42.7% $179

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$255 20.8%

Samokov

$252 24.2% 1.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$171 13.9%

Samokov

$173 16.7% 1.6% $2.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$147 12%

Samokov

$148 14.3% 1.2% $1.8

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.3%

Samokov

$139 13.4% 0.5% $0.6

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Samokov

$50 4.8% 17.2% $10

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 2.9%

Samokov

$37 3.5% 2.4% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Plovdiv versus $344 in Samokov. 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 57% higher in Plovdiv. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Plovdiv versus $46 in Samokov. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Plovdiv vs $252 in Samokov – so Samokov wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Samokov

🕒 Local time

07:25 7:25 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

25,138

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Plovdiv Samokov 100 km

From you

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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 Samokov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,227 in Plovdiv, $1,040 in Samokov – Samokov comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,840 per month in Plovdiv and $1,561 in Samokov. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samokov, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $344 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,227 in Plovdiv and $1,040 in Samokov. That makes Samokov about 15% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Plovdiv and $584 in Samokov. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,227 in Plovdiv and $1,040 in Samokov. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Plovdiv has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,040 in Samokov to $1,227 in Plovdiv. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Samokov. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Plovdiv makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.