Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Varna: $1,411 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Lisbon

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,411 in Varna versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

Varna $1,411
Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,223 in Varna versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

Varna $2,223
Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,035 in Varna versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

Varna $3,035
Lisbon $4,346

Living in Varna costs roughly 36% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Varna 4% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 BGN 22.18

$17.04 €15.15

-25.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 BGN 103

$62.3 €55.4

-4.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 BGN 17.81

$11.02 €9.80

-7.08%

Cappuccino

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$3.12 €2.78

-6.41%

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

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$2.27 €2.02

-13.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BGN 2.86

$1.74 €1.55

-5.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 BGN 4.90

$3.42 €3.04

-17.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 BGN 6.06

$3.74 €3.33

-6.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$1.17 €1.04

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.16

$1.86 €1.66

-33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 BGN 4.64

$1.54 €1.37

73.38%

Eggs

$3.42 BGN 5.96

$4.06 €3.61

-15.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 BGN 19.74

$12.91 €11.49

-12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 BGN 16.21

$7.90 €7.03

17.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 BGN 24.98

$17.64 €15.69

-18.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$2.26 €2.01

-11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$1.75 €1.55

18.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$1.89 €1.68

11.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$2.56 €2.27

14.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$1.85 €1.64

-30.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.97 €1.75

-47.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 BGN 1.78

$1.45 €1.29

-29.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.77 €0.69

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.01

$6.71 €5.97

-39.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 BGN 15.61

$5.67 €5.04

58.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.37 €1.22

-13.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 BGN 3.12

$2.11 €1.88

-15.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.52

$2.32 €2.07

-62.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 BGN 50.2

$44.43 €39.52

-35.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$3.95 €3.51

-60.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$1.05 €0.93

-14.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.06 BGN 20.99

$17.15 €15.26

-29.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$2.19 €1.95

-20.55%

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

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

$33.8K €30.0K

-10.01%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

$38.3K €34.0K

-35.91%

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

$177 BGN 307

$164 €146

7.83%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.67

$18.48 €16.43

14.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.97 BGN 27.80

$32.96 €29.32

-51.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 BGN 89.0

$45.87 €40.80

11.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 BGN 33.94

$18.68 €16.61

4.44%

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 BGN 16.56

$9.75 €8.67

-2.36%

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

$511 BGN 890

$684 €608

-25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

$17.6K €15.7K

-64.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 BGN 113

$104 €92.3

-37.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.59 BGN 58.5

$46.20 €41.09

-27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 178

$99.7 €88.7

2.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

$125 €111

-17.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 BGN 1,122

$1,589 €1,414

-59.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 BGN 830

$1,169 €1,040

-59.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 BGN 2,376

$2,851 €2,536

-52.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 BGN 1,590

$1,993 €1,773

-54.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,941 BGN 5,118

$7,793 €6,932

-62.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 BGN 3,726

$4,418 €3,930

-51.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 BGN 2,211

$1,600 €1,423

-20.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

3.85

-26.75%

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

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$477 33.8%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.1% 145% $692

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Lisbon

$273 12.4% 0.4% $1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$214 15.1%

Lisbon

$215 9.8% 0.7% $1.6

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.4%

Lisbon

$247 11.2% 21.8% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$137 9.7%

Lisbon

$168 7.7% 23.3% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 5%

Lisbon

$65 3% 6.9% $4.8

Getting Around

Varna

$38 2.7%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 63.8% $25

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $645 in Varna and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 26% 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: $59.0 in Varna vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $273 per month, with Varna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

15:02 3:02 PM

13:02 1:02 PM

2 h behind Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Varna Lisbon 3,130 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Varna
Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Varna and Lisbon differ by about 56% in total monthly costs ($1,411 vs $2,202 including rent). Varna is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 26% lower in Lisbon. 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: $645 in Varna versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Varna versus $684 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 0% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $1,411 in Varna versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Varna but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. 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 Lisbon 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 Varna gentler on the wallet – expenses run 56% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.