Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,219 a month against $1,411 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,219

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Burgas

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 Burgas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,411 per month in Varna vs $1,219 in Burgas, rent included.

Varna $1,411
Burgas $1,219

A couple spends around $2,223 per month in Varna vs $1,841 in Burgas, rent included.

Varna $2,223
Burgas $1,841

A family of three spends $3,035 per month in Varna vs $2,463 in Burgas, rent included.

Varna $3,035
Burgas $2,463

Varna costs about 16% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Varna sits 4% above the global median, while Burgas is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 BGN 22.18

$13.91 BGN 24.21

-8.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 BGN 103

$46.33 BGN 80.6

28.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 BGN 17.81

$11.82 BGN 20.57

-13.37%

Cappuccino

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$3.43 BGN 5.97

-14.87%

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

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.03 BGN 1.80

91.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BGN 2.86

$0.75 BGN 1.31

118.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 BGN 4.90

$1.97 BGN 3.43

43.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 BGN 6.06

$2.90 BGN 5.04

20.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$1.66 BGN 2.89

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.16

$1.03 BGN 1.79

20.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 BGN 4.64

$2.02 BGN 3.52

32.18%

Eggs

$3.42 BGN 5.96

$3.28 BGN 5.71

4.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 BGN 19.74

$10.02 BGN 17.44

13.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 BGN 16.21

$8.91 BGN 15.50

4.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 BGN 24.98

$11.69 BGN 20.34

22.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$2.27 BGN 3.95

-11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$1.96 BGN 3.41

6.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$2.12 BGN 3.70

-0.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$2.48 BGN 4.31

17.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$1.61 BGN 2.80

-20.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-27.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 BGN 1.78

$0.92 BGN 1.60

10.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.87 BGN 1.51

-11.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.01

$3.46 BGN 6.02

16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 BGN 15.61

$6.97 BGN 12.14

28.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.02 BGN 1.77

15.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 BGN 3.12

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-5.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.52

$0.86 BGN 1.49

2.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 BGN 50.2

$34.64 BGN 60.3

-16.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.70 BGN 2.95

-7.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$0.73 BGN 1.28

23.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.06 BGN 20.99

$12.19 BGN 21.21

-1.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.72 BGN 2.99

1.16%

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

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

$29.5K BGN 51.4K

2.94%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

$23.8K BGN 41.5K

2.87%

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

$177 BGN 307

$101 BGN 177

74.11%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.67

$14.52 BGN 25.27

45.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.97 BGN 27.80

$11.66 BGN 20.29

36.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 BGN 89.0

$38.51 BGN 67.0

32.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 BGN 33.94

$14.20 BGN 24.71

37.39%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 BGN 16.56

$8.64 BGN 15.03

10.19%

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

$511 BGN 890

$231 BGN 403

121.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

$14.7K BGN 25.5K

-57.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 BGN 113

$58.3 BGN 101

11.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.59 BGN 58.5

$29.21 BGN 50.8

14.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 178

$72.2 BGN 126

41.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

$75.5 BGN 131

36.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 BGN 1,122

$541 BGN 942

19.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 BGN 830

$429 BGN 746

11.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 BGN 2,376

$816 BGN 1,420

67.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 BGN 1,590

$628 BGN 1,092

45.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,941 BGN 5,118

$2,503 BGN 4,355

17.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 BGN 3,726

$1,942 BGN 3,379

10.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 BGN 2,211

$990 BGN 1,722

28.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

3.25

-13.23%

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

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$477 33.8%

Burgas

$429 35.2% 10.1% $48

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Burgas

$246 20.2% 9.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$214 15.1%

Burgas

$128 10.5% 40.3% $86

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.4%

Burgas

$211 17.3% 3.7% $7.5

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$137 9.7%

Burgas

$106 8.7% 22.5% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 5%

Burgas

$56 4.6% 20.6% $14

Getting Around

Varna

$38 2.7%

Burgas

$43 3.6% 13% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $645 in Varna versus $541 in Burgas. 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 28% higher in Varna, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Varna versus $46.00 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $246 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

15:31 3:31 PM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

189,741

💱 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

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Varna
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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 Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,411 in Varna, $1,219 in Burgas – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,117 per month in Varna and $1,828 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 20% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $511 per month in Varna and $231 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgas, where all-in costs run around $1,219, than in Varna at $1,411. In Burgas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Varna has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,219 in Burgas to $1,411 in Varna. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Burgas. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.