Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Smolyan and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Smolyan: $724 a month against $1,411 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Smolyan
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Smolyan Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Smolyan

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$724

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Smolyan and in Varna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $724 in Smolyan versus $1,411 in Varna.

Smolyan $724
Varna $1,411

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,158 in Smolyan versus $2,223 in Varna.

Smolyan $1,158
Varna $2,223

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,591 in Smolyan versus $3,035 in Varna.

Smolyan $1,591
Varna $3,035

Living in Smolyan costs roughly 49% less than in Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Smolyan is 47% below, Varna is 4% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.43 BGN 11.19

$12.74 BGN 22.18

-49.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.31 BGN 64.9

$59.4 BGN 103

-37.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.72 BGN 9.95

$10.24 BGN 17.81

-44.14%

Cappuccino

$1.29 BGN 2.25

$2.92 BGN 5.08

-55.82%

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

$0.98 BGN 1.71

$1.97 BGN 3.42

-50.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 BGN 1.20

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-57.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$2.82 BGN 4.90

-38.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$3.48 BGN 6.06

-39.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 BGN 2.93

$1.95 BGN 3.39

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$1.24 BGN 2.16

-23.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$2.67 BGN 4.64

-36.33%

Eggs

$3.26 BGN 5.67

$3.42 BGN 5.96

-4.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.12 BGN 17.60

$11.35 BGN 19.74

-10.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.73 BGN 9.96

$9.31 BGN 16.21

-38.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.47 BGN 14.73

$14.35 BGN 24.98

-40.98%

Apples (1kg)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$2.01 BGN 3.50

-42.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$2.11 BGN 3.67

-44.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.92 BGN 5.08

-20.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 BGN 2.01

$1.28 BGN 2.23

-10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 BGN 2.47

$1.04 BGN 1.81

36.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 BGN 1.60

$1.02 BGN 1.78

-9.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 BGN 0.94

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-29.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 5.98

$4.03 BGN 7.01

-14.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.56 BGN 9.68

$8.97 BGN 15.61

-38.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-53.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$1.79 BGN 3.12

-5.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 BGN 1.65

$0.88 BGN 1.52

7.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.88 BGN 57.2

$28.86 BGN 50.2

13.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.25

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-17.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.90 BGN 1.56

-34.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.04 BGN 20.95

$12.06 BGN 20.99

-0.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 BGN 2.69

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-10.92%

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

$23.0K BGN 40.1K

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

-24.27%

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

$22.7K BGN 39.5K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

-7.54%

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

$103 BGN 179

$177 BGN 307

-41.62%

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

$14.48 BGN 25.20

$21.08 BGN 36.67

-31.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.12 BGN 15.86

$15.97 BGN 27.80

-42.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.89 BGN 38.10

$51.2 BGN 89.0

-57.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.77 BGN 29.18

$19.51 BGN 33.94

-14.04%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 BGN 13.12

$9.52 BGN 16.56

-20.80%

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

$232 BGN 403

$511 BGN 890

-54.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,911 BGN 10.3K

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

-6.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.35 BGN 49.33

$65.1 BGN 113

-56.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.15 BGN 36.79

$33.59 BGN 58.5

-37.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.2 BGN 103

$102 BGN 178

-42.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.1 BGN 110

$103 BGN 179

-38.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$201 BGN 349

$645 BGN 1,122

-68.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 BGN 246

$477 BGN 830

-70.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 BGN 504

$1,365 BGN 2,376

-78.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$244 BGN 424

$914 BGN 1,590

-73.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,342 BGN 2,335

$2,941 BGN 5,118

-54.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,059 BGN 1,843

$2,142 BGN 3,726

-50.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 BGN 1,165

$1,271 BGN 2,211

-47.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

2.82

15.25%

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

Last update for Smolyan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Smolyan

$197 27.2%

Varna

$272 19.3% 38.4% $75

Accommodation & Living

Smolyan

$141 19.5%

Varna

$477 33.8% 238% $336

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Smolyan

$127 17.5%

Varna

$214 15.1% 68.6% $87

Eating Out

Smolyan

$104 14.3%

Varna

$203 14.4% 95.9% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Smolyan

$77 10.7%

Varna

$137 9.7% 76.7% $59

Getting Around

Smolyan

$41 5.7%

Varna

$38 2.7% 6.1% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Smolyan

$37 5.1%

Varna

$70 5% 89.9% $33

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $201 in Smolyan and $645 in Varna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varna pays 90% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $37.00 in Smolyan vs $59.0 in Varna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $197 vs $272 per month, with Smolyan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Smolyan

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

13:49 1:49 PM

Same time as Smolyan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,507

348,058

💱 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

Smolyan Varna 320 km

From you

Smolyan
Varna

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

Smolyan vs Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Smolyan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 95% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 90% lower in Varna. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $201 in Smolyan versus $645 in Varna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $232 in Smolyan versus $511 in Varna. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 38% higher in Varna. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $724 in Smolyan versus $1,411 in Varna, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Smolyan but tight or insufficient in Varna. The gap between the two cities makes Smolyan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Smolyan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Varna, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Smolyan and Varna are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Smolyan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 95% less than in Varna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.