Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $1,408 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 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 Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,408

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Stara Zagora

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

A single person spends $1,408 per month in Varna vs $908 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Varna $1,408
Stara Zagora $908

A couple spends around $2,217 per month in Varna vs $1,415 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Varna $2,217
Stara Zagora $1,415

A family of three spends $3,026 per month in Varna vs $1,921 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Varna $3,026
Stara Zagora $1,921

Varna costs about 55% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varna sits 3% above the global median, while Stara Zagora is 33% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.46 BGN 21.81

$10.38 BGN 18.16

20.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 105

$51.7 BGN 90.5

15.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.16 BGN 17.77

$9.15 BGN 16.02

11.04%

Cappuccino

$2.87 BGN 5.02

$2.34 BGN 4.09

22.65%

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

$1.89 BGN 3.31

$1.50 BGN 2.62

26.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.83

$0.87 BGN 1.52

86.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.81 BGN 4.91

$2.21 BGN 3.87

27.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 BGN 6.12

$2.03 BGN 3.56

72.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 BGN 3.36

$1.73 BGN 3.02

10.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.24 BGN 2.17

$0.86 BGN 1.51

44.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.52

$1.45 BGN 2.54

77.93%

Eggs

$3.53 BGN 6.17

$2.36 BGN 4.12

49.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 BGN 20.18

$9.38 BGN 16.42

22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.28 BGN 16.25

$6.39 BGN 11.18

45.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.97 BGN 24.46

$8.59 BGN 15.03

62.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.90 BGN 3.33

$1.25 BGN 2.19

52.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.16 BGN 3.79

$1.70 BGN 2.98

27.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.12 BGN 3.72

$1.76 BGN 3.08

20.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 BGN 5.25

$1.93 BGN 3.38

55.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$1.00 BGN 1.74

30.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.04 BGN 1.82

$0.72 BGN 1.26

44.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.05 BGN 1.84

$0.55 BGN 0.97

90.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$0.63 BGN 1.10

23.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.03 BGN 7.04

$3.64 BGN 6.38

10.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.90 BGN 15.57

$5.25 BGN 9.18

69.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 BGN 2.05

$1.09 BGN 1.91

7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.15

$1.73 BGN 3.03

4.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 BGN 1.98

$0.85 BGN 1.49

32.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 49.19

$20.45 BGN 35.79

37.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 BGN 2.74

$1.29 BGN 2.26

20.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.64 BGN 1.13

37.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.19 BGN 21.34

$11.40 BGN 19.95

6.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.05

$1.57 BGN 2.75

10.83%

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

$29.6K BGN 51.7K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

-0.60%

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

$24.7K BGN 43.3K

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

5.40%

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

$176 BGN 308

$91.4 BGN 160

92.70%

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

$20.41 BGN 35.71

$14.59 BGN 25.53

39.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.68 BGN 27.43

$12.26 BGN 21.46

27.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.4 BGN 90.0

$33.21 BGN 58.1

54.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.47 BGN 34.07

$21.06 BGN 36.86

-7.55%

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 BGN 15.86

$8.89 BGN 15.55

1.91%

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

$498 BGN 872

$227 BGN 398

119.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,292 BGN 11.0K

$2,270 BGN 3,972

177.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 114

$30.35 BGN 53.1

115.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.01 BGN 57.8

$19.39 BGN 33.93

70.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 BGN 179

$64.0 BGN 112

59.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.7 BGN 174

$51.9 BGN 90.8

92.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$640 BGN 1,120

$330 BGN 577

94.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$482 BGN 843

$279 BGN 489

72.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,362 BGN 2,383

$498 BGN 871

173.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$916 BGN 1,602

$399 BGN 699

129.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,998 BGN 5,246

$1,506 BGN 2,635

99.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,090 BGN 3,657

$1,109 BGN 1,941

88.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,286 BGN 2,250

$1,067 BGN 1,867

20.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.82

2.99

-5.69%

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

Last update for Varna: October 27, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$482 34.2%

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8% 42% $202

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$272 19.3%

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3% 28.7% $78

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$212 15.1%

Stara Zagora

$118 13% 44.3% $94

Eating Out

Varna

$200 14.2%

Stara Zagora

$163 18% 18.3% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$135 9.6%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 44.8% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 4.9%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 26.7% $19

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.7%

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1% 26.5% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $640 in Varna versus $330 in Stara Zagora. 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 21% 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 in Varna versus $52 in Stara Zagora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $272 vs $194 – making Stara Zagora the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

10:06 10:06 AM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

149,266

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Varna Stara Zagora 210 km

From you

Varna
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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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,408 in Varna, $908 in Stara Zagora – Stara Zagora comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,113 per month in Varna and $1,362 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $640 in Varna.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Varna, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $60 in Varna and $52 in Stara Zagora. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $908, than in Varna at $1,408. In Stara Zagora it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varna it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Stara Zagora – 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 Stara Zagora. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Varna makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.