Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $779 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $4,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Sliven

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Plovdiv vs $779 in Sliven, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,191
Sliven $779

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,232 in Sliven, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,852
Sliven $1,232

A family of three spends $2,512 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,684 in Sliven, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,512
Sliven $1,684

Plovdiv costs about 53% more than Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Plovdiv and Sliven are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 12% lower, Sliven 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$11.37 BGN 19.78

-20.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 BGN 77.6

$35.06 BGN 61.0

27.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

$10.19 BGN 17.74

-6.28%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$1.79 BGN 3.11

59.78%

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

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$1.25 BGN 2.17

42.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$0.88 BGN 1.53

71.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$1.71 BGN 2.97

49.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 BGN 7.55

$2.36 BGN 4.10

83.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.55 BGN 2.70

18.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BGN 2.13

$0.79 BGN 1.37

55.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.76

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-16.28%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$2.09 BGN 3.63

75.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 BGN 20.43

$8.12 BGN 14.12

44.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.59

$5.50 BGN 9.57

52.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 BGN 24.16

$6.67 BGN 11.61

108.25%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.47 BGN 2.56

11.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.65 BGN 2.88

7.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$1.45 BGN 2.52

38.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 BGN 4.41

$2.16 BGN 3.77

17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$0.51 BGN 0.88

103.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$0.88 BGN 1.53

23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.02 BGN 1.77

13.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.48 BGN 0.83

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$3.49 BGN 6.08

14.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.76

$6.14 BGN 10.68

0.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.01 BGN 1.77

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$1.27 BGN 2.21

58.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.70 BGN 1.22

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.23 BGN 49.11

$34.80 BGN 60.6

-18.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.12 BGN 1.96

8.93%

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

$8.71 BGN 15.16

16.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.53 BGN 2.66

10.46%

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

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

1.28%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

10.27%

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

$112 BGN 194

$86.7 BGN 151

28.67%

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

$18.47 BGN 32.13

$20.37 BGN 35.44

-9.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 BGN 27.43

$9.44 BGN 16.43

66.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 BGN 70.8

$23.32 BGN 40.58

74.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 BGN 35.41

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 BGN 15.94

$5.80 BGN 10.09

57.93%

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

$507 BGN 883

$508 BGN 885

-0.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 BGN 9,555

$6,395 BGN 11.1K

-14.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$58.1 BGN 101

18.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 BGN 74.0

$22.56 BGN 39.25

88.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 BGN 165

$69.1 BGN 120

37.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$61.6 BGN 107

70.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$231 BGN 402

132.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 675

$146 BGN 253

166.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 BGN 1,506

$329 BGN 572

163.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,166

$254 BGN 441

164.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,227 BGN 3,875

$1,147 BGN 1,996

94.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 BGN 2,683

$915 BGN 1,593

68.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 BGN 1,996

$1,325 BGN 2,306

-13.42%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Sliven

$146 18.7% 62.5% $243

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.3%

Sliven

$181 23.2% 28.6% $72

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$170 14.3%

Sliven

$165 21.1% 3% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Sliven

$117 15% 20.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.8%

Sliven

$95 12.2% 32.1% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Sliven

$35 4.5% 40.8% $24

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 19.9% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Plovdiv versus $231 in Sliven. 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 15% higher in Sliven, 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 $35.00 in Sliven. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $181 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

10:09 10:09 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

95,806

💱 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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Between locations

Plovdiv Sliven 140 km

From you

Plovdiv
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Plovdiv, $779 in Sliven – roughly 53% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Plovdiv and $1,169 in Sliven. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 23% less in Sliven. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Plovdiv and $508 in Sliven. 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 Sliven, where all-in costs run around $779, than in Plovdiv at $1,191. In Sliven 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 $779 in Sliven 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 Sliven. 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.