Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sunny Beach and Varna

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,388 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index
68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index

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Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sunny Beach 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 Sunny Beach and in Varna actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,388 in Varna.

Sunny Beach $1,038
Varna $1,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,578 in Sunny Beach versus $2,192 in Varna.

Sunny Beach $1,578
Varna $2,192

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,117 in Sunny Beach versus $2,997 in Varna.

Sunny Beach $2,117
Varna $2,997

Living in Sunny Beach costs roughly 25% less than in Varna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Sunny Beach is 23% below, Varna is 3% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.39 BGN 14.59

$12.74 BGN 22.16

-34.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.87 BGN 78.1

$59.9 BGN 104

-25.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 BGN 16.75

$10.21 BGN 17.77

-5.68%

Cappuccino

$2.86 BGN 4.98

$2.93 BGN 5.10

-2.39%

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

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$1.88 BGN 3.27

-7.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$1.60 BGN 2.78

-2.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 BGN 4.03

$2.93 BGN 5.10

-21.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.02

$3.52 BGN 6.13

-50.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 BGN 3.06

$1.90 BGN 3.30

-7.37%

White Bread (500g)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$1.18 BGN 2.05

-36.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.18 BGN 3.79

$2.57 BGN 4.47

-15.18%

Eggs

$3.69 BGN 6.42

$3.45 BGN 6.01

6.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

$11.30 BGN 19.66

-25.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.56 BGN 14.90

$9.02 BGN 15.69

-5.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.28 BGN 24.85

$14.12 BGN 24.57

1.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.95

$1.91 BGN 3.32

-10.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 BGN 3.08

$2.11 BGN 3.67

-16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$2.13 BGN 3.70

-10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.63 BGN 4.57

$2.95 BGN 5.14

-10.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.87

$1.25 BGN 2.18

-14.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.03 BGN 1.79

1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$1.07 BGN 1.86

8.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 BGN 1.24

$0.75 BGN 1.30

-5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.13

$3.97 BGN 6.92

3.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 BGN 10.92

$8.68 BGN 15.10

-27.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 BGN 1.96

$1.16 BGN 2.01

-2.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 BGN 3.58

$1.80 BGN 3.13

14.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$0.89 BGN 1.55

26.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.87 BGN 50.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$1.61 BGN 2.80

-21.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.12

$0.91 BGN 1.58

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.32 BGN 17.96

$12.08 BGN 21.02

-14.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 BGN 2.75

$1.75 BGN 3.04

-9.71%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

$29.8K BGN 51.8K

-0.61%

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

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

$25.4K BGN 44.2K

-3.78%

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

$114 BGN 199

$173 BGN 302

-34.13%

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

$18.46 BGN 32.12

$20.88 BGN 36.32

-11.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.66 BGN 27.25

$16.07 BGN 27.96

-2.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 BGN 91.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 BGN 34.94

Cinema Ticket

$8.90 BGN 15.48

$8.86 BGN 15.42

0.45%

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

$519 BGN 902

$497 BGN 865

4.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,550 BGN 9,658

$6,315 BGN 11.0K

-12.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.86 BGN 58.9

$65.3 BGN 114

-48.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.32 BGN 71.9

$33.69 BGN 58.6

22.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.8 BGN 167

$101 BGN 176

-5.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 180

$102 BGN 177

1.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$565 BGN 984

$626 BGN 1,089

-9.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$341 BGN 593

$462 BGN 805

-26.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$679 BGN 1,181

$1,326 BGN 2,307

-48.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$513 BGN 893

$888 BGN 1,545

-42.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,328 BGN 2,310

$2,992 BGN 5,205

-55.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 BGN 1,976

$2,161 BGN 3,760

-47.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$920 BGN 1,601

$1,283 BGN 2,232

-28.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.1

2.85

8.77%

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

Last update for Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Last update for Varna: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9%

Varna

$462 33.3% 35.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1%

Varna

$267 19.3% 11.4% $27

Eating Out

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3%

Varna

$203 14.6% 28.2% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3%

Varna

$210 15.2% 41.8% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9%

Varna

$136 9.8% 10% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7%

Varna

$70 5.1% 294% $52

Getting Around

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9%

Varna

$39 2.8% 328% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $565 in Sunny Beach and $626 in Varna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varna pays 39% 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: $45.00 in Sunny Beach vs $60.0 in Varna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $240 vs $267 per month, with Sunny Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Varna

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

Same time as Sunny Beach

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,347

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

Sunny Beach Varna 60 km

From you

Sunny Beach
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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

Sunny Beach vs Varna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Varna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sunny Beach the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 39% 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: $565 in Sunny Beach versus $626 in Varna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Varna. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,038 per month in Sunny Beach versus $1,388 in Varna – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,388 in Varna, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sunny Beach but tight or insufficient in Varna. The gap between the two cities makes Sunny Beach the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sunny Beach delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,038 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sunny Beach hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Sunny Beach 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 Sunny Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Varna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.