Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Spain and Bulgaria

Name: Bulgaria
Address: BG

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,159 a month against $1,760 in Spain, rent and utilities included – about $7,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Spain
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Spain Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
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Bulgaria Living Index

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🇪🇸 Spain

$1,760

/mo nomad

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,159

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Spain and in Bulgaria

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,760 in Spain versus $1,159 in Bulgaria.

Spain $1,760
Bulgaria $1,159

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,581 in Spain versus $1,775 in Bulgaria.

Spain $2,581
Bulgaria $1,775

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,402 in Spain versus $2,390 in Bulgaria.

Spain $3,402
Bulgaria $2,390

Internal cost variation is higher in Spain: monthly costs span $937 to $2,649, compared to $554–$1,600 in Bulgaria. City choice carries more weight in Spain.

Living in Spain is roughly 52% more expensive than in Bulgaria on average.

Spain (30% above) and Bulgaria (14% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.87

$11.41 BGN 19.86

46.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.0 €49.76

$45.05 BGN 78.4

24.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.13 €9.90

$10.38 BGN 18.06

7.23%

Cappuccino

$2.43 €2.17

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-5.81%

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

$2.63 €2.34

$1.62 BGN 2.81

62.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.23 BGN 2.14

47.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.40 €3.03

$2.25 BGN 3.91

51.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 €3.39

$3.34 BGN 5.81

14.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-36.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 €1.33

$1.18 BGN 2.05

27.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.26 BGN 3.93

-29.20%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.96

$3.44 BGN 5.98

-3.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.41 €12.82

$10.15 BGN 17.67

41.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 €7.41

$7.99 BGN 13.91

4.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.30 €14.50

$13.01 BGN 22.63

25.29%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.70 BGN 2.96

51.18%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$2.01 BGN 3.50

1.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.83 BGN 3.19

11.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.67 BGN 4.65

-4.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 €1.63

$1.06 BGN 1.84

72.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.03 BGN 1.79

97.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.06 BGN 1.85

28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 €0.66

$0.71 BGN 1.24

4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.35 €5.65

$3.80 BGN 6.62

67.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$6.68 BGN 11.63

-17.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.07 BGN 1.86

22.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.80

$1.76 BGN 3.06

14.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.87 BGN 1.52

96.55%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.15 €29.49

$27.69 BGN 48.18

19.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.52 €4.02

$1.52 BGN 2.64

197.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.50 €1.34

$0.73 BGN 1.27

105.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.43 €21.73

$12.25 BGN 21.31

99.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.61 BGN 2.79

11.18%

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

$35.9K €32.0K

$30.2K BGN 52.5K

19.17%

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

$31.2K €27.7K

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

27.12%

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

$150 €133

$126 BGN 220

18.88%

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

$17.57 €15.62

$18.70 BGN 32.54

-6.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.32 €27.86

$14.05 BGN 24.44

122.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.55 €40.52

$33.65 BGN 58.6

35.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.00 €13.34

$18.06 BGN 31.43

-16.94%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.43

$8.53 BGN 14.85

11.02%

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

$544 €484

$567 BGN 986

-3.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K €9,563

$9,482 BGN 16.5K

13.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.1 €74.8

$58.4 BGN 102

43.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.90 €32.82

$33.29 BGN 57.9

10.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.5 €78.7

$90.4 BGN 157

-2.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 €92.8

$89.7 BGN 156

16.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,017 €904

$478 BGN 832

112.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$793 €705

$364 BGN 633

117.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,605 €1,428

$781 BGN 1,359

105.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,075

$579 BGN 1,007

108.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,093 €3,640

$2,178 BGN 3,791

87.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,581 €2,296

$1,601 BGN 2,785

61.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,001 €1,780

$1,129 BGN 1,965

77.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

3.16

4.43%

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

Last update for Spain: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bulgaria: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Spain

$793 45%

Bulgaria

$364 31.4% 54.1% $429

Groceries & Markets

Spain

$272 15.4%

Bulgaria

$244 21% 10.3% $28

Eating Out

Spain

$239 13.6%

Bulgaria

$183 15.8% 23.5% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Spain

$199 11.3%

Bulgaria

$159 13.7% 20.1% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Spain

$141 8%

Bulgaria

$122 10.6% 13.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Spain

$65 3.7%

Bulgaria

$51 4.4% 21.4% $14

Getting Around

Spain

$52 3%

Bulgaria

$36 3.1% 30.1% $16

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $913 in Spain, $328 in Bulgaria. Capital cities: $1,509 in Madrid vs $770 in Sofia.

National salary averages: $1,977 in Spain, $1,044 in Bulgaria. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 178% higher in Spain.

Dining out costs 46% more in Spain.

Public transport is 32% more expensive in Spain.

Salaries are 89% higher in Spain, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Spain.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Spain

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🕒 Local time

12:35 12:35 PM

13:35 1:35 PM

1 h ahead of Spain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

47,415,750

6,795,803

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Spain Bulgaria 2,250 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Spain
Bulgaria

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

Spain vs Bulgaria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,159 per month in Bulgaria and $1,760 in Spain, there's a 52% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Bulgaria: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $913 in Spain and $328 in Bulgaria. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Bulgaria, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Spain it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Bulgaria wins on affordability; Spain may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.