Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plovdiv and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $909 a month against $1,234 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,234

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$909

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Plovdiv and in Stara Zagora

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

A single person spends $1,234 per month in Plovdiv vs $909 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,234
Stara Zagora $909

A couple spends around $1,888 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,416 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Plovdiv $1,888
Stara Zagora $1,416

A family of three spends $2,542 per month in Plovdiv vs $1,923 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Plovdiv $2,542
Stara Zagora $1,923

Plovdiv costs about 36% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Plovdiv and Stara Zagora are more affordable than the global median – Plovdiv 9% lower, Stara Zagora 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.92 BGN 17.26

$10.19 BGN 17.73

-2.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.76 BGN 81.4

$52.3 BGN 91.0

-10.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.53 BGN 16.58

$9.03 BGN 15.71

5.54%

Cappuccino

$2.88 BGN 5.02

$2.28 BGN 3.97

26.32%

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

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$1.57 BGN 2.74

21.66%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 BGN 2.70

$0.81 BGN 1.42

91.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.64 BGN 4.59

$2.21 BGN 3.85

19.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.58 BGN 7.98

$1.94 BGN 3.38

136.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BGN 3.20

$1.74 BGN 3.03

5.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$0.80 BGN 1.39

46.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 BGN 3.93

$1.50 BGN 2.61

50.67%

Eggs

$3.57 BGN 6.21

$2.29 BGN 3.98

55.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.62 BGN 20.22

$9.47 BGN 16.47

22.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.73 BGN 15.18

$6.30 BGN 10.97

38.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.34 BGN 24.95

$8.24 BGN 14.34

74.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.88

$1.27 BGN 2.21

29.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 BGN 3.14

$1.65 BGN 2.88

9.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.34

$1.74 BGN 3.03

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.70 BGN 4.69

$1.94 BGN 3.37

39.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$0.99 BGN 1.72

10.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 BGN 1.77

$0.72 BGN 1.26

41.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 BGN 2.17

$0.55 BGN 0.96

125.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$0.67 BGN 1.16

16.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.08 BGN 7.10

$3.68 BGN 6.41

10.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.17 BGN 10.74

$5.11 BGN 8.89

20.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$1.14 BGN 1.99

-1.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 BGN 3.37

$1.73 BGN 3.01

12.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.85 BGN 1.48

-35.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.00 BGN 50.5

$20.79 BGN 36.18

39.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 BGN 2.76

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-12.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.87 BGN 18.91

$16.87 BGN 29.36

-35.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$1.65 BGN 2.87

6.06%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$30.0K BGN 52.2K

1.79%

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

$24.8K BGN 43.2K

$23.8K BGN 41.4K

4.19%

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

$111 BGN 194

$93.2 BGN 162

19.42%

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

$18.88 BGN 32.85

$14.55 BGN 25.32

29.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.50 BGN 26.96

$12.29 BGN 21.39

26.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.89 BGN 74.6

$32.99 BGN 57.4

30.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.20 BGN 35.15

$21.44 BGN 37.31

-5.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.91 BGN 15.50

$9.04 BGN 15.73

-1.44%

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

$590 BGN 1,026

$226 BGN 392

161.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K BGN 19.2K

$2,291 BGN 3,987

381.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.4 BGN 117

$30.91 BGN 53.8

117.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 71.9

$19.40 BGN 33.76

112.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.2 BGN 169

$64.8 BGN 113

50.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 BGN 184

$50.5 BGN 87.9

108.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$550 BGN 957

$318 BGN 553

73.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$415 BGN 722

$280 BGN 487

48.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$862 BGN 1,501

$497 BGN 865

73.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$653 BGN 1,137

$402 BGN 700

62.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,270 BGN 3,950

$1,524 BGN 2,651

49.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,562 BGN 2,718

$1,109 BGN 1,929

40.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,119 BGN 1,947

$1,060 BGN 1,845

5.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.99

3.68%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Plovdiv: October 31, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plovdiv

$415 33.6%

Stara Zagora

$280 30.8% 32.5% $135

Groceries & Markets

Plovdiv

$257 20.8%

Stara Zagora

$192 21.1% 25.2% $65

Eating Out

Plovdiv

$179 14.5%

Stara Zagora

$160 17.7% 10.2% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plovdiv

$146 11.8%

Stara Zagora

$120 13.2% 17.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Plovdiv

$140 11.4%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 46.8% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Plovdiv

$61 4.9%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 15.9% $9.6

Getting Around

Plovdiv

$37 3%

Stara Zagora

$30 3.4% 17.4% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $550 in Plovdiv versus $318 in Stara Zagora. 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 6% 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 $47 in Plovdiv versus $52 in Stara Zagora. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Plovdiv vs $192 in Stara Zagora – so Stara Zagora wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

Same time as Plovdiv

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

368,983

149,266

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plovdiv Stara Zagora 79 km

From you

Plovdiv
Stara Zagora

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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,234 in Plovdiv, $909 in Stara Zagora – Stara Zagora comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,851 per month in Plovdiv and $1,363 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $318 there versus $550 in Plovdiv.

Public transport costs about 28% less in Stara Zagora. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $590 per month in Plovdiv and $226 in Stara Zagora. 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 Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $909, than in Plovdiv at $1,234. In Stara Zagora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plovdiv it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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