Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Smolyan

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $724 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Smolyan

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Plovdiv vs $724 in Smolyan, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,191
Smolyan $724

A couple spends around $1,852 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,158 in Smolyan, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,852
Smolyan $1,158

A family of three spends $2,512 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,591 in Smolyan, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,512
Smolyan $1,591

Plovdiv costs about 65% more than Smolyan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Plovdiv and Smolyan are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 12% lower, Smolyan 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.02 BGN 15.70

$6.43 BGN 11.19

40.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.57 BGN 77.6

$37.31 BGN 64.9

19.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

$5.72 BGN 9.95

66.96%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$1.29 BGN 2.25

121.71%

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

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$0.98 BGN 1.71

81.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$0.69 BGN 1.20

118.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$1.74 BGN 3.04

46.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.34 BGN 7.55

$2.11 BGN 3.67

105.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.21

$1.69 BGN 2.93

8.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.23 BGN 2.13

$0.95 BGN 1.66

29.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.76

$1.70 BGN 2.96

27.06%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$3.26 BGN 5.67

12.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.74 BGN 20.43

$10.12 BGN 17.60

16.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.38 BGN 14.59

$5.73 BGN 9.96

46.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 BGN 24.16

$8.47 BGN 14.73

63.99%

Apples (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.16 BGN 2.02

41.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.68 BGN 2.93

5.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$1.17 BGN 2.04

71.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.53 BGN 4.41

$2.33 BGN 4.05

8.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.15 BGN 2.01

-9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.42 BGN 2.47

-23.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$0.92 BGN 1.60

26.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.54 BGN 0.94

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.98 BGN 6.92

$3.44 BGN 5.98

15.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.18 BGN 10.76

$5.56 BGN 9.68

11.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$0.55 BGN 0.96

114.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$1.70 BGN 2.95

18.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.56 BGN 0.97

$0.95 BGN 1.65

-41.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.23 BGN 49.11

$32.88 BGN 57.2

-14.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.29 BGN 2.25

-5.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.59 BGN 1.02

3.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.15 BGN 17.65

$12.04 BGN 20.95

-15.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.94

$1.55 BGN 2.69

9.03%

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

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

$23.0K BGN 40.1K

33.23%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

$22.7K BGN 39.5K

7.96%

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

$112 BGN 194

$103 BGN 179

8.20%

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

$18.47 BGN 32.13

$14.48 BGN 25.20

27.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.76 BGN 27.43

$9.12 BGN 15.86

72.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.66 BGN 70.8

$21.89 BGN 38.10

85.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.35 BGN 35.41

$16.77 BGN 29.18

21.35%

Cinema Ticket

$9.16 BGN 15.94

$7.54 BGN 13.12

21.49%

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

$507 BGN 883

$232 BGN 403

118.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,491 BGN 9,555

$5,911 BGN 10.3K

-7.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 BGN 120

$28.35 BGN 49.33

142.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.55 BGN 74.0

$21.15 BGN 36.79

101.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.9 BGN 165

$59.2 BGN 103

60.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 183

$63.1 BGN 110

66.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 BGN 935

$201 BGN 349

167.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$388 BGN 675

$141 BGN 246

174.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$866 BGN 1,506

$290 BGN 504

198.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$670 BGN 1,166

$244 BGN 424

175.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,227 BGN 3,875

$1,342 BGN 2,335

65.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,542 BGN 2,683

$1,059 BGN 1,843

45.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,147 BGN 1,996

$670 BGN 1,165

71.36%

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 17, 2026

Last update for Smolyan: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$388 32.6%

Smolyan

$141 19.5% 63.6% $247

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$253 21.3%

Smolyan

$197 27.2% 22.4% $57

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$170 14.3%

Smolyan

$104 14.3% 38.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 12.2%

Smolyan

$127 17.5% 13.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.8%

Smolyan

$77 10.7% 44.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$59 5%

Smolyan

$37 5.1% 37.3% $22

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$35 2.9%

Smolyan

$41 5.7% 17.7% $6.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $537 in Plovdiv versus $201 in Smolyan. 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 71% 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 $37.00 in Smolyan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $253 vs $197 – making Smolyan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🕒 Local time

15:30 3:30 PM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

30,507

💱 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 Smolyan 63 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 Smolyan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Plovdiv, $724 in Smolyan – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,786 per month in Plovdiv and $1,085 in Smolyan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 16% less in Smolyan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $507 per month in Plovdiv and $232 in Smolyan. 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 Smolyan, where all-in costs run around $724, than in Plovdiv at $1,191. In Smolyan 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 $724 in Smolyan 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 Smolyan. 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.