Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Popovo

For one person, living is cheaper in Popovo: $873 a month against $1,408 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Popovo
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Popovo Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Popovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$873

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Popovo

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,408 in Varna versus $873 in Popovo.

Varna $1,408
Popovo $873

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,217 in Varna versus $1,378 in Popovo.

Varna $2,217
Popovo $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,026 in Varna versus $1,883 in Popovo.

Varna $3,026
Popovo $1,883

Living in Varna is roughly 61% more expensive than in Popovo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varna is 3% above, Popovo is 36% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 BGN 21.94

$8.56 BGN 15.06

45.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 106

$28.08 BGN 49.43

113.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 BGN 17.87

$6.88 BGN 12.11

47.67%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 5.05

$1.17 BGN 2.06

145.30%

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

$1.89 BGN 3.32

$0.76 BGN 1.34

148.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.85

$1.50 BGN 2.64

8.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 BGN 4.94

$2.64 BGN 4.65

6.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 BGN 6.15

$4.12 BGN 7.26

-15.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.38

$1.47 BGN 2.58

30.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.18

$1.08 BGN 1.89

14.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.55

$2.11 BGN 3.72

22.27%

Eggs

$3.53 BGN 6.21

$2.68 BGN 4.72

31.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 BGN 20.30

$7.03 BGN 12.37

64.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 BGN 16.34

$7.86 BGN 13.83

18.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 BGN 24.60

$13.92 BGN 24.50

0.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.34

$1.44 BGN 2.54

31.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.81

$1.42 BGN 2.50

52.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 BGN 3.74

$1.40 BGN 2.46

51.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 BGN 5.28

$2.18 BGN 3.83

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.29

$1.02 BGN 1.79

27.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.83

$1.10 BGN 1.94

-5.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 BGN 1.85

$1.22 BGN 2.15

-13.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.37

$0.72 BGN 1.26

8.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.08

$3.95 BGN 6.96

2.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 BGN 15.66

$6.25 BGN 11.00

42.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.06

$0.89 BGN 1.57

31.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.17

$1.97 BGN 3.47

-8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.99

$0.87 BGN 1.54

29.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 49.47

$25.73 BGN 45.28

9.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 BGN 2.75

$0.58 BGN 1.03

168.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.59 BGN 1.04

49.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.46

$7.65 BGN 13.47

59.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.07

$1.50 BGN 2.64

16.00%

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

$29.6K BGN 52.0K

$28.7K BGN 50.5K

2.97%

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

$24.7K BGN 43.5K

$22.1K BGN 38.9K

11.82%

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

$176 BGN 310

$111 BGN 195

58.53%

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

$20.41 BGN 35.91

$18.25 BGN 32.12

11.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 BGN 27.59

$15.52 BGN 27.31

1.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 BGN 90.5

$19.92 BGN 35.06

158.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 BGN 34.26

$16.70 BGN 29.39

16.59%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 BGN 15.95

$6.41 BGN 11.28

41.34%

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

$498 BGN 877

$601 BGN 1,058

-17.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 BGN 11.1K

$5,477 BGN 9,640

14.88%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 115

$51.5 BGN 90.7

26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 BGN 58.1

$39.42 BGN 69.4

-16.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 180

$68.7 BGN 121

48.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 BGN 175

$45.10 BGN 79.4

120.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 BGN 1,126

$351 BGN 618

82.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 BGN 848

$219 BGN 385

120.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 BGN 2,397

$612 BGN 1,076

122.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 BGN 1,612

$443 BGN 780

106.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 BGN 5,276

$1,131 BGN 1,990

165.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 BGN 3,678

$996 BGN 1,752

109.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,286 BGN 2,263

$1,239 BGN 2,181

3.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

3.1

-9.03%

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

Last update for Varna: October 27, 2026

Last update for Popovo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$482 34.2%

Popovo

$219 25% 54.6% $263

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Popovo

$219 25% 19.6% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$212 15.1%

Popovo

$145 16.6% 31.7% $67

Eating Out

Varna

$200 14.2%

Popovo

$134 15.3% 33.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$135 9.6%

Popovo

$92 10.6% 31.8% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 4.9%

Popovo

$33 3.8% 52.9% $37

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.7%

Popovo

$33 3.8% 15.1% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $640 in Varna and $351 in Popovo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varna pays 4% 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 $28 in Popovo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $219 per month, with Popovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Popovo

🕒 Local time

23:35 11:35 PM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

15,878

💱 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 Popovo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Popovo is about 38% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 4% higher in Varna, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $640 in Varna versus $351 in Popovo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 24% higher in Varna. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Popovo – a meal for two runs $28 versus $60 in Varna. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $873 in Popovo versus $1,408 in Varna, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Popovo but tight or insufficient in Varna. The gap between the two cities makes Popovo 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 Popovo are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Popovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 38% less than in Varna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.