Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $913 a month against $1,227 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,227

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$913

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Shumen

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

A single person spends $1,227 per month in Plovdiv vs $913 in Shumen, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,227
Shumen $913

A couple spends around $1,874 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,422 in Shumen, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,874
Shumen $1,422

A family of three spends $2,522 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,931 in Shumen, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,522
Shumen $1,931

Plovdiv costs about 34% more than Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Plovdiv and Shumen are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 10% lower, Shumen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.16 BGN 16.03

$9.14 BGN 15.99

0.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.67 BGN 79.9

$34.66 BGN 60.7

31.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.43 BGN 16.51

$9.14 BGN 15.99

3.17%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 5.01

$1.69 BGN 2.96

69.23%

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

$1.76 BGN 3.08

$1.43 BGN 2.50

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 BGN 2.77

$1.07 BGN 1.87

47.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 BGN 4.44

$2.95 BGN 5.15

-13.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 BGN 7.61

$2.89 BGN 5.06

50.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 BGN 3.17

$1.84 BGN 3.23

-1.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.08 BGN 1.89

12.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 BGN 3.91

$2.57 BGN 4.49

-13.23%

Eggs

$3.77 BGN 6.59

$2.85 BGN 4.98

32.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.33

$9.11 BGN 15.94

27.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.55 BGN 14.96

$5.11 BGN 8.95

67.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.32 BGN 25.06

$8.86 BGN 15.51

61.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.84

$1.52 BGN 2.66

6.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 BGN 3.23

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-9.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.93 BGN 3.37

$2.17 BGN 3.80

-11.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.61

$2.30 BGN 4.02

14.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.91

$2.05 BGN 3.59

-46.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$1.25 BGN 2.20

-16.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$0.88 BGN 1.53

31.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-7.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.90 BGN 6.82

$3.67 BGN 6.41

6.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 BGN 10.55

$7.00 BGN 12.25

-13.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.03

$0.97 BGN 1.69

19.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.47

$1.47 BGN 2.57

34.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 BGN 1.05

$0.88 BGN 1.54

-31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.11 BGN 51.0

$26.12 BGN 45.72

11.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-26.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.53 BGN 0.93

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.46 BGN 18.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.59 BGN 2.78

6.92%

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

$30.3K BGN 53.1K

$30.9K BGN 54.1K

-1.86%

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

$24.6K BGN 43.1K

$22.3K BGN 39.1K

10.22%

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

$113 BGN 197

$133 BGN 232

-15.01%

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

$18.40 BGN 32.20

$17.68 BGN 30.94

4.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.41 BGN 26.96

$16.94 BGN 29.64

-9.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.91 BGN 73.4

$38.15 BGN 66.8

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.61 BGN 36.07

$11.41 BGN 19.97

80.63%

Cinema Ticket

$9.31 BGN 16.29

$7.04 BGN 12.32

32.24%

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

$599 BGN 1,047

$561 BGN 982

6.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,404 BGN 9,456

$10.5K BGN 18.4K

-48.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.3 BGN 118

$47.91 BGN 83.8

40.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.80 BGN 73.1

$51.6 BGN 90.4

-19.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 BGN 170

$94.2 BGN 165

2.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 178

$60.6 BGN 106

68.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$553 BGN 968

$263 BGN 460

110.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 734

$180 BGN 315

133.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$880 BGN 1,539

$427 BGN 748

105.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 BGN 1,160

$334 BGN 584

98.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,228 BGN 3,899

$1,231 BGN 2,154

81.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,512 BGN 2,646

$997 BGN 1,744

51.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,162 BGN 2,033

$1,024 BGN 1,792

13.42%

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 25, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$420 34.2%

Shumen

$180 19.7% 57.2% $240

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$255 20.8%

Shumen

$214 23.4% 16.3% $42

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$171 13.9%

Shumen

$151 16.6% 11.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$147 12%

Shumen

$167 18.3% 14.1% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$139 11.3%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 17.4% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Shumen

$52 5.7% 13.7% $8.3

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$36 2.9%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 5% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $553 in Plovdiv versus $263 in Shumen. 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 13% 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 $35 in Shumen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $255 vs $214 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

85,504

💱 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

On the map

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Plovdiv Shumen 220 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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,227 in Plovdiv, $913 in Shumen – Shumen comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,840 per month in Plovdiv and $1,369 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $263 there versus $553 in Plovdiv.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Shumen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $599 per month in Plovdiv and $561 in Shumen. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $913, than in Plovdiv at $1,227. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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