Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Plovdiv

For one person, living is cheaper in Plovdiv: $1,194 a month against $1,388 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
Learn more

Varna Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Plovdiv
Learn more

Plovdiv Living Index

Jump to prices

Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,388

/mo nomad

Plovdiv

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,194

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Plovdiv

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

A single person spends $1,388 per month in Varna vs $1,194 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Varna $1,388
Plovdiv $1,194

A couple spends around $2,192 per month in Varna vs $1,842 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Varna $2,192
Plovdiv $1,842

A family of three spends $2,997 per month in Varna vs $2,489 in Plovdiv, rent included.

Varna $2,997
Plovdiv $2,489

Varna costs about 16% more than Plovdiv, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Varna sits 3% above the global median, while Plovdiv is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 BGN 22.16

$9.28 BGN 16.15

37.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 104

$44.41 BGN 77.3

34.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 BGN 17.77

$9.74 BGN 16.95

4.83%

Cappuccino

$2.93 BGN 5.10

$2.87 BGN 4.99

2.09%

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

$1.88 BGN 3.27

$1.73 BGN 3.02

8.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 BGN 2.78

$1.51 BGN 2.63

5.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 BGN 5.10

$2.54 BGN 4.42

15.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 BGN 6.13

$4.24 BGN 7.38

-16.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.76 BGN 3.07

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 BGN 4.47

$2.17 BGN 3.78

18.43%

Eggs

$3.45 BGN 6.01

$3.76 BGN 6.53

-8.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 BGN 19.66

$11.63 BGN 20.24

-2.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 BGN 15.69

$8.43 BGN 14.67

7.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 BGN 24.57

$14.18 BGN 24.67

-0.42%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$1.64 BGN 2.85

16.46%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$1.80 BGN 3.12

17.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.70

$1.98 BGN 3.45

7.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 BGN 5.14

$2.55 BGN 4.44

15.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.18

$1.08 BGN 1.87

15.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$1.21 BGN 2.11

-11.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$0.72 BGN 1.25

4.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 BGN 6.92

$4.02 BGN 7.00

-1.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 BGN 15.10

$6.11 BGN 10.63

42.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.13 BGN 1.97

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.13

$2.08 BGN 3.62

-13.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.55 BGN 0.96

61.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.87 BGN 50.2

$28.22 BGN 49.10

2.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 BGN 2.80

$1.28 BGN 2.22

25.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.58

$0.60 BGN 1.05

51.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.08 BGN 21.02

$10.34 BGN 18.00

16.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$1.74 BGN 3.03

0.57%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.8K

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

-1.90%

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

$25.4K BGN 44.2K

$24.4K BGN 42.4K

4.14%

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

$173 BGN 302

$112 BGN 195

54.65%

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

$20.88 BGN 36.32

$18.46 BGN 32.12

13.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.07 BGN 27.96

$15.48 BGN 26.94

3.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 BGN 91.2

$41.07 BGN 71.5

27.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 BGN 34.94

$20.27 BGN 35.26

-0.94%

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 BGN 15.42

$9.04 BGN 15.73

-1.99%

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

$497 BGN 865

$522 BGN 907

-4.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,315 BGN 11.0K

$5,424 BGN 9,438

16.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 114

$69.1 BGN 120

-5.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.69 BGN 58.6

$41.56 BGN 72.3

-18.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 BGN 176

$95.5 BGN 166

6.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 177

$105 BGN 182

-3.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 BGN 1,089

$537 BGN 935

16.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 BGN 805

$389 BGN 677

18.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 BGN 2,307

$871 BGN 1,516

52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 BGN 1,545

$642 BGN 1,117

38.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,992 BGN 5,205

$2,230 BGN 3,880

34.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,161 BGN 3,760

$1,548 BGN 2,693

39.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,283 BGN 2,232

$1,156 BGN 2,012

10.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.85

3.1

-8.06%

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

Last update for Varna: October 13, 2026

Last update for Plovdiv: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$462 33.3%

Plovdiv

$389 32.6% 15.9% $74

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$267 19.3%

Plovdiv

$253 21.2% 5.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$210 15.2%

Plovdiv

$146 12.2% 30.6% $64

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.6%

Plovdiv

$172 14.4% 15.3% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$136 9.8%

Plovdiv

$140 11.7% 3% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 5.1%

Plovdiv

$59 5% 15.7% $11

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.8%

Plovdiv

$35 2.9% 10% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $626 in Varna versus $537 in Plovdiv. 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 11% 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 $60.0 in Varna versus $44.00 in Plovdiv. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $253 – making Plovdiv the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Plovdiv

🕒 Local time

12:29 12:29 PM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

368,983

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varna Plovdiv 280 km

From you

Varna
Plovdiv

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 Plovdiv: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,388 in Varna, $1,194 in Plovdiv – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,082 per month in Varna and $1,791 in Plovdiv. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 2% less in Plovdiv. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $497 per month in Varna and $522 in Plovdiv. 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 Plovdiv, where all-in costs run around $1,194, than in Varna at $1,388. In Plovdiv 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 $1,194 in Plovdiv to $1,388 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 Plovdiv. 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.