Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Qingdao, Shandong and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Qingdao, Shandong: $777 a month against $869 in Stara Zagora, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Qingdao, Shandong
Learn more

Qingdao, Shandong Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
Learn more

Stara Zagora Living Index

Jump to prices

Qingdao, Shandong

🇨🇳 China

$777

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Qingdao, Shandong 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 Qingdao, Shandong and in Stara Zagora actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $777 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $869 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $777
Stara Zagora $869

A couple spends around $1,234 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $1,382 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,234
Stara Zagora $1,382

A family of three spends $1,691 per month in Qingdao, Shandong vs $1,896 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Qingdao, Shandong $1,691
Stara Zagora $1,896

Qingdao, Shandong is about 11% cheaper than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Qingdao, Shandong and Stara Zagora are more affordable than the global median – Qingdao, Shandong 42% lower, Stara Zagora 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.96 ¥19.76

$10.29 BGN 17.91

-71.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$17.99 ¥120

$51.8 BGN 90.1

-65.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.54 ¥30.34

$8.97 BGN 15.61

-49.39%

Cappuccino

$2.68 ¥17.88

$2.30 BGN 4.01

16.52%

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

$0.51 ¥3.39

$1.56 BGN 2.72

-67.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 ¥2.16

$0.86 BGN 1.50

-62.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.10 ¥7.35

$2.19 BGN 3.82

-49.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 ¥17.88

$1.93 BGN 3.36

38.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 ¥13.24

$1.71 BGN 2.97

15.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 ¥9.46

$0.81 BGN 1.42

75.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.64

$1.51 BGN 2.63

-34.44%

Eggs

$1.30 ¥8.70

$2.25 BGN 3.92

-42.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.10 ¥108

$9.04 BGN 15.72

78.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 ¥28.65

$6.35 BGN 11.05

-32.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.67 ¥64.5

$8.15 BGN 14.19

18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 ¥9.65

$1.27 BGN 2.21

13.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 ¥7.70

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-29.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ¥11.40

$1.70 BGN 2.96

0.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ¥8.79

$1.87 BGN 3.25

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 ¥4.56

$0.93 BGN 1.61

-26.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ¥6.42

$0.76 BGN 1.32

26.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ¥6.72

$0.55 BGN 0.95

83.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.39

$0.62 BGN 1.08

6.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.76 ¥25.12

$3.75 BGN 6.53

0.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.36 ¥95.9

$5.17 BGN 9.00

177.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ¥6.87

$1.10 BGN 1.91

-6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ¥10.35

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-10.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.85 BGN 1.47

-63.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.80 ¥119

$18.24 BGN 31.73

-2.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 ¥9.80

$1.28 BGN 2.23

14.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ¥2.99

$0.65 BGN 1.13

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.12 ¥60.9

$11.19 BGN 19.48

-18.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 ¥8.44

$1.65 BGN 2.87

-23.64%

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

$19.4K ¥129.6K

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

-35.15%

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

$16.7K ¥111.4K

$22.0K BGN 38.2K

-24.09%

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

$69.0 ¥461

$93.8 BGN 163

-26.42%

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

$6.80 ¥45.41

$14.89 BGN 25.91

-54.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.94 ¥53.0

$12.17 BGN 21.18

-34.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.31 ¥142

$27.16 BGN 47.26

-21.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 ¥121

$21.15 BGN 36.80

-14.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.78

$8.94 BGN 15.55

-28.30%

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

$360 ¥2,402

$228 BGN 396

57.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.7K ¥118.3K

$2,259 BGN 3,930

684.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.4 ¥343

$30.12 BGN 52.4

70.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.43 ¥330

$19.54 BGN 34.01

152.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.6 ¥631

$65.3 BGN 114

44.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥604

$50.7 BGN 88.2

78.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 ¥2,330

$288 BGN 501

21.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 ¥1,345

$252 BGN 438

-20.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 ¥5,037

$494 BGN 860

52.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 ¥2,832

$402 BGN 699

5.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,580 ¥23.9K

$1,431 BGN 2,491

150.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,120 ¥14.2K

$1,038 BGN 1,805

104.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,231 ¥8,220

$1,080 BGN 1,880

13.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

2.99

12.71%

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

Last update for Qingdao, Shandong: October 12, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Qingdao, Shandong

$222 28.6%

Stara Zagora

$189 21.8% 14.9% $33

Accommodation & Living

Qingdao, Shandong

$201 25.9%

Stara Zagora

$252 29% 25.1% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Qingdao, Shandong

$129 16.6%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.6% 42.1% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8%

Stara Zagora

$121 13.9% 44.3% $37

Eating Out

Qingdao, Shandong

$84 10.8%

Stara Zagora

$161 18.6% 93% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Qingdao, Shandong

$34 4.4%

Stara Zagora

$45 5.2% 32% $11

Getting Around

Qingdao, Shandong

$23 2.9%

Stara Zagora

$26 3% 15% $3.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $288 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 14% higher in Qingdao, Shandong, 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 $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong versus $52.0 in Stara Zagora. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Qingdao, Shandong vs $189 in Stara Zagora – so Stara Zagora wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Qingdao, Shandong

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

14:02 2:02 PM

09:02 9:02 AM

5 h behind Qingdao, Shandong

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,071,722

149,266

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Qingdao, Shandong Stara Zagora 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Qingdao, Shandong
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

Qingdao, Shandong vs Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Stara Zagora is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,165 per month in Qingdao, Shandong and $1,304 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Interestingly, groceries are about 18% cheaper in Stara Zagora – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $18.00 in Qingdao, Shandong and $52.0 in Stara Zagora. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $777 in Qingdao, Shandong and $869 in Stara Zagora, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Qingdao, Shandong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Qingdao, Shandong. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Stara Zagora makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.