Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ruse and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Ruse: $990 a month against $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Ruse
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Ruse Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
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Plovdiv Living Index

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Ruse

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$990

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ruse and in Plovdiv

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ruse and in Plovdiv actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $990 per month in Ruse vs $1,191 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Ruse $990
Plovdiv $1,191

A couple spends around $1,470 per month in Ruse vs $1,852 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Ruse $1,470
Plovdiv $1,852

A family of three spends $1,949 per month in Ruse vs $2,512 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Ruse $1,949
Plovdiv $2,512

Ruse is about 17% cheaper than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Ruse and Plovdiv are more affordable than the global median – Ruse 27% lower, Plovdiv 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.07 BGN 15.77

$9.02 BGN 15.70

0.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.26 BGN 59.6

$44.57 BGN 77.6

-23.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.55 BGN 16.62

Cappuccino

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.86 BGN 4.98

-41.26%

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

$1.48 BGN 2.58

$1.78 BGN 3.09

-16.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.45

$1.51 BGN 2.62

-45.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.55 BGN 4.43

-30.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 BGN 4.88

$4.34 BGN 7.55

-35.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$1.84 BGN 3.21

-4.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 BGN 1.76

$1.23 BGN 2.13

-17.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.28 BGN 3.96

$2.16 BGN 3.76

5.56%

Eggs

$2.55 BGN 4.43

$3.67 BGN 6.39

-30.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.93 BGN 15.54

$11.74 BGN 20.43

-23.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.77 BGN 13.52

$8.38 BGN 14.59

-7.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.42 BGN 25.10

$13.89 BGN 24.16

3.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.40 BGN 2.44

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-14.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 BGN 3.21

$1.78 BGN 3.10

3.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

Tomato (1kg)

$2.02 BGN 3.52

$2.53 BGN 4.41

-20.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 BGN 1.87

$1.04 BGN 1.81

3.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.84

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 BGN 2.11

$1.16 BGN 2.02

4.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 BGN 1.15

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 BGN 5.91

$3.98 BGN 6.92

-14.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 BGN 10.66

$6.18 BGN 10.76

-0.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$2.01 BGN 3.49

-41.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.46

$0.56 BGN 0.97

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.93 BGN 27.71

$28.23 BGN 49.11

-43.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.25 BGN 2.17

$1.22 BGN 2.13

2.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.61 BGN 1.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.22 BGN 17.79

$10.15 BGN 17.65

0.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 BGN 2.63

$1.69 BGN 2.94

-10.65%

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

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

$30.7K BGN 53.4K

-1.68%

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

$22.6K BGN 39.3K

$24.5K BGN 42.6K

-7.79%

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

$104 BGN 182

$112 BGN 194

-6.48%

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

$17.91 BGN 31.17

$18.47 BGN 32.13

-3.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.89 BGN 22.44

$15.76 BGN 27.43

-18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.68 BGN 55.1

$40.66 BGN 70.8

-22.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.80 BGN 15.32

$20.35 BGN 35.41

-56.76%

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 BGN 9.74

$9.16 BGN 15.94

-38.86%

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

$518 BGN 902

$507 BGN 883

2.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,381 BGN 9,363

$5,491 BGN 9,555

-2.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 BGN 88.6

$68.8 BGN 120

-26.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.15 BGN 48.99

$42.55 BGN 74.0

-33.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.0 BGN 125

$94.9 BGN 165

-24.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 BGN 152

$105 BGN 183

-16.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$348 BGN 606

$537 BGN 935

-35.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 BGN 531

$388 BGN 675

-21.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 BGN 914

$866 BGN 1,506

-39.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$409 BGN 712

$670 BGN 1,166

-38.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,660 BGN 2,889

$2,227 BGN 3,875

-25.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,210 BGN 2,105

$1,542 BGN 2,683

-21.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$966 BGN 1,681

$1,147 BGN 1,996

-15.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

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

Last update for Ruse: October 18, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ruse

$305 30.9%

Plovdiv

$388 32.6% 27.1% $83

Groceries & Markets

Ruse

$230 23.3%

Plovdiv

$253 21.3% 9.9% $23

Eating Out

Ruse

$145 14.7%

Plovdiv

$170 14.3% 17% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ruse

$135 13.7%

Plovdiv

$146 12.2% 7.9% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ruse

$107 10.8%

Plovdiv

$140 11.8% 30.6% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Ruse

$43 4.3%

Plovdiv

$59 5% 37.6% $16

Getting Around

Ruse

$24 2.4%

Plovdiv

$35 2.9% 47.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $348 in Ruse versus $537 in Plovdiv. 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 19% 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 $34.00 in Ruse versus $45.00 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $230 vs $253 – making Ruse the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Ruse

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

13:48 1:48 PM

Same time as Ruse

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,798

368,983

💱 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

Ruse Plovdiv 210 km

From you

Ruse
Plovdiv

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

Ruse vs Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $990 in Ruse, $1,191 in Plovdiv – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,485 per month in Ruse and $1,786 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 77% less in Ruse. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $518 per month in Ruse and $507 in Plovdiv. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Ruse, where all-in costs run around $990, than in Plovdiv at $1,191. In Ruse 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 $990 in Ruse 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 Ruse. 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.