Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Barcelona

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,408 a month against $2,453 in Barcelona, rent and utilities included – about $12,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index
117

Cost of Living Index in Barcelona
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Barcelona Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Barcelona

🇪🇸 Spain

$2,453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Barcelona

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,408 in Varna versus $2,453 in Barcelona.

Varna $1,408
Barcelona $2,453

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,217 in Varna versus $3,509 in Barcelona.

Varna $2,217
Barcelona $3,509

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,026 in Varna versus $4,564 in Barcelona.

Varna $3,026
Barcelona $4,564

Living in Varna costs roughly 43% less than in Barcelona, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varna 3% above, Barcelona 80% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 BGN 21.81

$17.59 €15.75

-29.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 105

$67.5 €60.5

-11.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 BGN 17.77

$13.53 €12.12

-24.91%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 5.02

$3.19 €2.86

-10.03%

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

$1.89 BGN 3.31

$2.91 €2.61

-35.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.83

$1.89 €1.70

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 BGN 4.91

$4.01 €3.59

-29.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 BGN 6.12

$4.53 €4.06

-22.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.31 €1.17

46.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.17

$2.02 €1.81

-38.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.52

$1.85 €1.66

39.46%

Eggs

$3.53 BGN 6.17

$4.83 €4.33

-26.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 BGN 20.18

$16.74 €14.99

-31.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 BGN 16.25

$9.12 €8.17

1.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 BGN 24.46

$19.64 €17.59

-28.87%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.33

$2.98 €2.67

-36.24%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.79

$2.02 €1.81

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 BGN 3.72

$2.70 €2.42

-21.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 BGN 5.25

$2.80 €2.51

7.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$2.09 €1.87

-37.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$2.07 €1.85

-49.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 BGN 1.84

$1.46 €1.31

-28.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$0.94 €0.84

-17.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.04

$6.87 €6.15

-41.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 BGN 15.57

$7.89 €7.06

12.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.41 €1.26

-17.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.15

$2.54 €2.27

-29.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$3.14 €2.82

-64.01%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 49.19

$25.45 €22.79

10.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$2.99 €2.68

-47.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$1.49 €1.34

-40.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.34

$33.37 €29.89

-63.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.05

$1.80 €1.61

-3.33%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.7K

$33.2K €29.7K

-10.96%

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

$24.7K BGN 43.3K

$31.7K €28.4K

-21.94%

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

$176 BGN 308

$180 €162

-2.42%

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

$20.41 BGN 35.71

$13.84 €12.39

47.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 BGN 27.43

$33.70 €30.18

-53.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 BGN 90.0

$51.5 €46.13

-0.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 BGN 34.07

$15.96 €14.29

21.99%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 BGN 15.86

$10.99 €9.85

-17.56%

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

$498 BGN 872

$917 €821

-45.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 BGN 11.0K

$16.5K €14.8K

-61.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 114

$87.0 €77.9

-24.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 BGN 57.8

$38.51 €34.49

-14.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 179

$106 €94.8

-3.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 BGN 174

$120 €107

-16.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 BGN 1,120

$1,699 €1,522

-62.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 BGN 843

$1,355 €1,214

-64.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 BGN 2,383

$2,603 €2,331

-47.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 BGN 1,602

$2,062 €1,847

-55.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 BGN 5,246

$6,915 €6,193

-56.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 BGN 3,657

$5,128 €4,592

-59.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,286 BGN 2,250

$2,211 €1,980

-41.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

3.28

-14.02%

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

Last update for Varna: October 27, 2026

Last update for Barcelona: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$482 34.2%

Barcelona

$1.4K 55.3% 181% $874

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Barcelona

$322 13.1% 18.4% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$212 15.1%

Barcelona

$228 9.3% 7.5% $16

Eating Out

Varna

$200 14.2%

Barcelona

$268 10.9% 34.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$135 9.6%

Barcelona

$158 6.4% 16.9% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 4.9%

Barcelona

$74 3% 5.7% $4

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.7%

Barcelona

$48 2% 25.5% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Varna and $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelona pays 72% 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: $60 in Varna vs $67 in Barcelona for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $322 per month, with Varna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇪🇸 Barcelona

🕒 Local time

10:40 10:40 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h behind Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

1,660,122

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varna Barcelona 2,120 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Varna
Barcelona

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

Varna vs Barcelona: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $1,408 in Varna and $2,453 in Barcelona, so Varna is about 43% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 42% 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: $640 in Varna versus $1,699 in Barcelona. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $498 in Varna versus $917 in Barcelona. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 18% higher in Barcelona. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,408 in Varna versus $2,453 in Barcelona, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varna but tight or insufficient in Barcelona. The gap between the two cities makes Varna the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Varna and Barcelona are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Varna wins on affordability, Barcelona on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.