Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Karlovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Karlovo: $789 a month against $1,408 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Karlovo
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Karlovo Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Karlovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$789

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Karlovo

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

A single person spends $1,408 per month in Varna vs $789 in Karlovo, rent included.

Varna $1,408
Karlovo $789

A couple spends around $2,217 per month in Varna vs $1,280 in Karlovo, rent included.

Varna $2,217
Karlovo $1,280

A family of three spends $3,026 per month in Varna vs $1,771 in Karlovo, rent included.

Varna $3,026
Karlovo $1,771

Varna costs about 79% more than Karlovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varna sits 3% above the global median, while Karlovo is 42% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 BGN 21.94

$7.31 BGN 12.87

70.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 106

$34.37 BGN 60.5

74.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 BGN 17.87

$8.82 BGN 15.53

15.19%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 5.05

$1.47 BGN 2.59

95.24%

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

$1.89 BGN 3.32

$1.11 BGN 1.96

70.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.85

$0.72 BGN 1.27

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 BGN 4.94

$1.99 BGN 3.50

41.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 BGN 6.15

$1.68 BGN 2.96

108.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.38

$1.11 BGN 1.95

72.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$0.88 BGN 1.54

40.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.55

$1.80 BGN 3.17

43.33%

Eggs

$3.53 BGN 6.21

$3.27 BGN 5.75

7.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 BGN 20.30

$10.15 BGN 17.87

13.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 BGN 16.34

$8.81 BGN 15.50

5.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 BGN 24.60

$5.86 BGN 10.32

138.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.34

$1.27 BGN 2.24

49.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.81

$2.00 BGN 3.52

8.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 BGN 3.74

$2.13 BGN 3.75

-0.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 BGN 5.28

$2.19 BGN 3.85

36.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.29

$0.45 BGN 0.79

188.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$0.89 BGN 1.56

16.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 BGN 1.85

$0.93 BGN 1.64

12.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.37

$0.72 BGN 1.27

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.08

$3.43 BGN 6.03

17.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 BGN 15.66

$6.67 BGN 11.74

33.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$1.03 BGN 1.82

13.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$1.91 BGN 3.36

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.99

$1.16 BGN 2.04

-2.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 49.47

$25.27 BGN 44.47

11.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 BGN 2.75

$1.12 BGN 1.97

39.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.73 BGN 1.28

20.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.46

$11.93 BGN 20.99

2.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.07

$1.44 BGN 2.54

20.83%

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

$29.6K BGN 52.0K

$29.5K BGN 52.0K

0.10%

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

$24.7K BGN 43.5K

$23.6K BGN 41.5K

5.02%

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

$176 BGN 310

$103 BGN 182

70.44%

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

$20.41 BGN 35.91

$14.19 BGN 24.98

43.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 BGN 27.59

$11.69 BGN 20.57

34.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 BGN 90.5

$31.56 BGN 55.6

62.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 BGN 34.26

$18.50 BGN 32.56

5.24%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 BGN 15.95

$5.86 BGN 10.32

54.61%

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

$498 BGN 877

$231 BGN 407

115.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 BGN 11.1K

$5,941 BGN 10.5K

5.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 115

$28.80 BGN 50.7

126.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 BGN 58.1

$11.59 BGN 20.40

184.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 180

$56.8 BGN 99.9

80.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 BGN 175

$46.22 BGN 81.4

115.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 BGN 1,126

$337 BGN 594

89.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 BGN 848

$186 BGN 328

158.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 BGN 2,397

$535 BGN 942

154.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 BGN 1,612

$407 BGN 716

125.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 BGN 5,276

$1,377 BGN 2,424

117.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 BGN 3,678

$982 BGN 1,729

112.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,286 BGN 2,263

$456 BGN 802

182.22%

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 27, 2026

Last update for Karlovo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$482 34.2%

Karlovo

$186 23.6% 61.3% $295

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Karlovo

$208 26.3% 23.5% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$212 15.1%

Karlovo

$129 16.4% 39.1% $83

Eating Out

Varna

$200 14.2%

Karlovo

$123 15.6% 38.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$135 9.6%

Karlovo

$65 8.2% 52.3% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 4.9%

Karlovo

$43 5.5% 37.7% $26

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.7%

Karlovo

$35 4.4% 10.3% $4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $640 in Varna versus $337 in Karlovo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Varna are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Varna versus $34 in Karlovo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $208 – making Karlovo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Karlovo

🕒 Local time

00:17 12:17 AM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

23,919

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Karlovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Varna is pricier by about 79%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,113 per month in Varna and $1,183 in Karlovo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karlovo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $337 there versus $640 in Varna.

Public transport costs about 10% less in Karlovo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $498 per month in Varna and $231 in Karlovo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Karlovo, where all-in costs run around $789, than in Varna at $1,408. In Karlovo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Karlovo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Karlovo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.