Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Sliven

For one person, living is cheaper in Sliven: $779 a month against $1,411 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Sliven
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Sliven Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,411

/mo nomad

Sliven

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$779

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Sliven

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,411 in Varna versus $779 in Sliven.

Varna $1,411
Sliven $779

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,223 in Varna versus $1,232 in Sliven.

Varna $2,223
Sliven $1,232

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,035 in Varna versus $1,684 in Sliven.

Varna $3,035
Sliven $1,684

Living in Varna is roughly 81% more expensive than in Sliven, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varna is 4% above, Sliven is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 BGN 22.18

$11.37 BGN 19.78

12.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 BGN 103

$35.06 BGN 61.0

69.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.24 BGN 17.81

$10.19 BGN 17.74

0.49%

Cappuccino

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$1.79 BGN 3.11

63.13%

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

$1.97 BGN 3.42

$1.25 BGN 2.17

57.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 BGN 2.86

$0.88 BGN 1.53

86.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.82 BGN 4.90

$1.71 BGN 2.97

64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 BGN 6.06

$2.36 BGN 4.10

47.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$1.55 BGN 2.70

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.16

$0.79 BGN 1.37

56.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 BGN 4.64

$2.58 BGN 4.49

3.49%

Eggs

$3.42 BGN 5.96

$2.09 BGN 3.63

63.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.35 BGN 19.74

$8.12 BGN 14.12

39.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.31 BGN 16.21

$5.50 BGN 9.57

69.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.35 BGN 24.98

$6.67 BGN 11.61

115.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 BGN 3.50

$1.47 BGN 2.56

36.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 BGN 3.62

$1.65 BGN 2.88

26.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$1.45 BGN 2.52

45.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.92 BGN 5.08

$2.16 BGN 3.77

35.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$0.51 BGN 0.88

150.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$0.88 BGN 1.53

18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.02 BGN 1.78

$1.02 BGN 1.77

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.48 BGN 0.83

60.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.01

$3.49 BGN 6.08

15.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 BGN 15.61

$6.14 BGN 10.68

46.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$1.01 BGN 1.77

16.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 BGN 3.12

$1.27 BGN 2.21

40.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.52

$0.70 BGN 1.22

25.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 BGN 50.2

$34.80 BGN 60.6

-17.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.12 BGN 1.96

40.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$0.59 BGN 1.03

52.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.06 BGN 20.99

$8.71 BGN 15.16

38.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.53 BGN 2.66

13.73%

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

$30.4K BGN 52.9K

$30.3K BGN 52.7K

0.39%

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

$24.5K BGN 42.7K

$22.2K BGN 38.6K

10.47%

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

$177 BGN 307

$86.7 BGN 151

103.73%

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

$21.08 BGN 36.67

$20.37 BGN 35.44

3.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.97 BGN 27.80

$9.44 BGN 16.43

69.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.2 BGN 89.0

$23.32 BGN 40.58

119.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.51 BGN 33.94

Cinema Ticket

$9.52 BGN 16.56

$5.80 BGN 10.09

64.14%

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

$511 BGN 890

$508 BGN 885

0.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,289 BGN 10.9K

$6,395 BGN 11.1K

-1.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 BGN 113

$58.1 BGN 101

12.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.59 BGN 58.5

$22.56 BGN 39.25

48.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 178

$69.1 BGN 120

47.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 BGN 179

$61.6 BGN 107

66.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$645 BGN 1,122

$231 BGN 402

179.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 BGN 830

$146 BGN 253

227.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,365 BGN 2,376

$329 BGN 572

315.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$914 BGN 1,590

$254 BGN 441

260.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,941 BGN 5,118

$1,147 BGN 1,996

156.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,142 BGN 3,726

$915 BGN 1,593

133.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,271 BGN 2,211

$1,325 BGN 2,306

-4.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

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

Last update for Varna: October 18, 2026

Last update for Sliven: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$477 33.8%

Sliven

$146 18.7% 69.5% $332

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Sliven

$181 23.2% 33.5% $91

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$214 15.1%

Sliven

$117 15% 45.5% $97

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.4%

Sliven

$165 21.1% 18.9% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$137 9.7%

Sliven

$95 12.2% 30.4% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 5%

Sliven

$35 4.5% 50.3% $35

Getting Around

Varna

$38 2.7%

Sliven

$42 5.4% 8.5% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $645 in Varna and $231 in Sliven. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sliven pays 4% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $59.0 in Varna vs $35.00 in Sliven for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $181 per month, with Sliven cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Sliven

🕒 Local time

10:10 10:10 AM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

95,806

💱 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

Varna Sliven 140 km

From you

Varna
Sliven

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 Sliven: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sliven is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 81% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Sliven. 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 $231 in Sliven. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $511 in Varna versus $508 in Sliven. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 50% higher in Varna. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $779 in Sliven versus $1,411 in Varna, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Sliven but tight or insufficient in Varna. The gap between the two cities makes Sliven the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Sliven is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Varna, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Varna and Sliven 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 Sliven gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Varna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.