Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sliven and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $774 a month against $1,554 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Belgrade
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Belgrade Living Index

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Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$774

/mo nomad

Belgrade

🇷🇸 Serbia

$1,554

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sliven and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Sliven vs $1,554 in Belgrade, rent included.

Sliven $774
Belgrade $1,554

A couple spends around $1,228 per month in Sliven vs $2,337 in Belgrade, rent included.

Sliven $1,228
Belgrade $2,337

A family of three spends $1,681 per month in Sliven vs $3,121 in Belgrade, rent included.

Sliven $1,681
Belgrade $3,121

Sliven is about 50% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Sliven sits 43% below the global median, while Belgrade is 15% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.63 BGN 20.24

$13.15 RSD 1,371

-11.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.58 BGN 58.4

$57.5 RSD 5,999

-41.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 BGN 17.63

$13.38 RSD 1,394

-24.29%

Cappuccino

$1.85 BGN 3.23

$3.10 RSD 323

-40.32%

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

$1.23 BGN 2.15

$2.82 RSD 294

-56.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$2.22 RSD 231

-58.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$3.47 RSD 362

-50.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 BGN 3.91

$3.96 RSD 412

-43.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 BGN 2.64

$1.38 RSD 144

10.14%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.41

$1.13 RSD 118

-28.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.66 BGN 4.64

$2.66 RSD 277

Eggs

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$2.78 RSD 290

-24.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.97 BGN 13.86

$10.99 RSD 1,146

-27.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 BGN 9.64

$6.56 RSD 684

-15.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.72 BGN 11.69

$15.07 RSD 1,571

-55.41%

Apples (1kg)

$1.45 BGN 2.53

$1.66 RSD 173

-12.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 BGN 2.78

$1.79 RSD 186

-10.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 BGN 2.42

$1.87 RSD 195

-25.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.79

$3.03 RSD 315

-28.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.50 BGN 0.88

$0.92 RSD 96.3

-45.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.71 RSD 73.8

16.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 BGN 1.84

$0.74 RSD 77.6

43.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 BGN 0.86

$0.74 RSD 77.2

-32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.55 BGN 6.18

$4.61 RSD 481

-22.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.08 BGN 10.58

$8.81 RSD 918

-30.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 BGN 1.82

$0.89 RSD 92.7

17.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 BGN 2.13

$1.45 RSD 151

-15.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 BGN 1.14

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.36 BGN 61.5

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 BGN 1.93

$3.02 RSD 315

-63.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 BGN 1.00

$0.98 RSD 103

-40.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.31 BGN 14.46

$17.08 RSD 1,780

-51.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 BGN 2.66

$1.91 RSD 199

-19.90%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.0K

$31.0K RSD 3.2M

-1.67%

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

$21.9K BGN 38.1K

$24.7K RSD 2.6M

-11.30%

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

$84.8 BGN 148

$220 RSD 23.0K

-61.51%

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

$20.02 BGN 34.83

$24.41 RSD 2,544

-17.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.07 BGN 15.79

$35.64 RSD 3,715

-74.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.19 BGN 40.35

$41.20 RSD 4,295

-43.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 RSD 2,356

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.79

$8.59 RSD 896

-34.58%

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

$500 BGN 869

$424 RSD 44.2K

17.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,332 BGN 11.0K

$11.0K RSD 1.1M

-42.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 BGN 97.8

$111 RSD 11.5K

-49.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.74 BGN 39.57

$47.28 RSD 4,929

-51.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.2 BGN 117

$113 RSD 11.8K

-40.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 BGN 108

$157 RSD 16.3K

-60.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$230 BGN 401

$805 RSD 83.9K

-71.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 BGN 248

$546 RSD 56.9K

-73.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$328 BGN 570

$1,452 RSD 151.4K

-77.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 BGN 451

$931 RSD 97.0K

-72.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,121 BGN 1,951

$5,368 RSD 559.6K

-79.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$918 BGN 1,596

$3,155 RSD 328.9K

-70.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,335 BGN 2,323

$1,237 RSD 128.9K

7.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.85

4.61

-38.18%

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

Last update for Sliven: October 10, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sliven

$181 23.3%

Belgrade

$241 15.5% 33.2% $60

Eating Out

Sliven

$168 21.6%

Belgrade

$228 14.7% 36% $60

Accommodation & Living

Sliven

$142 18.4%

Belgrade

$546 35.2% 284% $404

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sliven

$114 14.7%

Belgrade

$280 18.1% 146% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Sliven

$94 12.1%

Belgrade

$192 12.4% 105% $99

Getting Around

Sliven

$42 5.4%

Belgrade

$7.9 * 0.5% 81.1% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sliven

$34 4.5%

Belgrade

$58 3.8% 69.5% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $230 in Sliven versus $805 in Belgrade. 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 8% 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 $34.00 in Sliven versus $58.0 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $241 – making Sliven the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sliven

🇷🇸 Belgrade

🕒 Local time

00:40 12:40 AM

23:40 11:40 PM

1 h behind Sliven

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,806

1,197,714 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Serbian Dinar RSD din

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD

1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.59 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.53 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sliven Belgrade 530 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Sliven
Belgrade

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

Sliven vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $774 in Sliven, $1,554 in Belgrade – roughly 101% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,162 per month in Sliven and $2,331 in Belgrade. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34.00 in Sliven and $58.0 in Belgrade. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Belgrade, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sliven, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Belgrade at $1,554. In Sliven it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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