Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varna and Sunny Beach

For one person, living is cheaper in Sunny Beach: $1,038 a month against $1,388 in Varna, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

68

Cost of Living Index in Varna
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Varna Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Sunny Beach
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Sunny Beach Living Index

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Varna

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,388

/mo nomad

Sunny Beach

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Varna and in Sunny Beach

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,388 in Varna versus $1,038 in Sunny Beach.

Varna $1,388
Sunny Beach $1,038

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,192 in Varna versus $1,578 in Sunny Beach.

Varna $2,192
Sunny Beach $1,578

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,997 in Varna versus $2,117 in Sunny Beach.

Varna $2,997
Sunny Beach $2,117

Living in Varna is roughly 34% more expensive than in Sunny Beach, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Varna is 3% above, Sunny Beach is 23% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.74 BGN 22.16

$8.39 BGN 14.59

51.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.9 BGN 104

$44.87 BGN 78.1

33.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.21 BGN 17.77

$9.63 BGN 16.75

6.02%

Cappuccino

$2.93 BGN 5.10

$2.86 BGN 4.98

2.45%

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

$1.88 BGN 3.27

$1.74 BGN 3.02

8.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 BGN 2.78

$1.56 BGN 2.71

2.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.93 BGN 5.10

$2.31 BGN 4.03

26.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 BGN 6.13

$1.73 BGN 3.02

103.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 BGN 3.30

$1.76 BGN 3.06

7.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$0.75 BGN 1.30

57.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 BGN 4.47

$2.18 BGN 3.79

17.89%

Eggs

$3.45 BGN 6.01

$3.69 BGN 6.42

-6.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.30 BGN 19.66

$8.40 BGN 14.61

34.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.02 BGN 15.69

$8.56 BGN 14.90

5.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.12 BGN 24.57

$14.28 BGN 24.85

-1.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 BGN 3.32

$1.70 BGN 2.95

12.35%

Banana (1kg)

$2.11 BGN 3.67

$1.77 BGN 3.08

19.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 BGN 3.70

$1.91 BGN 3.32

11.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 BGN 5.14

$2.63 BGN 4.57

12.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.18

$1.07 BGN 1.87

16.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 BGN 1.79

$1.05 BGN 1.83

-1.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$1.16 BGN 2.02

-7.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 BGN 1.30

$0.71 BGN 1.24

5.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.97 BGN 6.92

$4.10 BGN 7.13

-3.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.68 BGN 15.10

$6.27 BGN 10.92

38.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 BGN 2.01

$1.13 BGN 1.96

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.80 BGN 3.13

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-12.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$1.13 BGN 1.97

-21.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.87 BGN 50.2

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.61 BGN 2.80

$1.27 BGN 2.21

26.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.58

$0.65 BGN 1.12

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.08 BGN 21.02

$10.32 BGN 17.96

17.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 BGN 3.04

$1.58 BGN 2.75

10.76%

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

$29.8K BGN 51.8K

$29.6K BGN 51.5K

0.61%

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

$25.4K BGN 44.2K

$24.4K BGN 42.5K

3.93%

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

$173 BGN 302

$114 BGN 199

51.82%

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

$15.66 BGN 27.25

2.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.4 BGN 91.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.08 BGN 34.94

Cinema Ticket

$8.86 BGN 15.42

$8.90 BGN 15.48

-0.45%

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

$497 BGN 865

$519 BGN 902

-4.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,315 BGN 11.0K

$5,550 BGN 9,658

13.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 BGN 114

$33.86 BGN 58.9

92.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.69 BGN 58.6

$41.32 BGN 71.9

-18.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 BGN 176

$95.8 BGN 167

5.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 BGN 177

$103 BGN 180

-1.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 BGN 1,089

$565 BGN 984

10.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 BGN 805

$341 BGN 593

35.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,326 BGN 2,307

$679 BGN 1,181

95.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$888 BGN 1,545

$513 BGN 893

72.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,992 BGN 5,205

$1,328 BGN 2,310

125.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,161 BGN 3,760

$1,135 BGN 1,976

90.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,283 BGN 2,232

$920 BGN 1,601

39.35%

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 Sunny Beach: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varna

$462 33.3%

Sunny Beach

$341 32.9% 26.3% $121

Groceries & Markets

Varna

$267 19.3%

Sunny Beach

$240 23.1% 10.2% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varna

$210 15.2%

Sunny Beach

$148 14.3% 29.5% $62

Eating Out

Varna

$203 14.6%

Sunny Beach

$159 15.3% 22% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Varna

$136 9.8%

Sunny Beach

$123 11.9% 9.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Varna

$70 5.1%

Sunny Beach

$18 * 1.7% 74.6% $52

Getting Around

Varna

$39 2.8%

Sunny Beach

$9 * 0.9% 76.6% $30

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $626 in Varna and $565 in Sunny Beach. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Varna pays 39% 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: $60.0 in Varna vs $45.00 in Sunny Beach for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $267 vs $240 per month, with Sunny Beach cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Varna

🇧🇬 Sunny Beach

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

Same time as Varna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

348,058

13,347

💱 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

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Between locations

Varna Sunny Beach 60 km

From you

Varna
Sunny Beach

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 Sunny Beach: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sunny Beach wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Varna. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Sunny Beach the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 39% 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: $626 in Varna versus $565 in Sunny Beach. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 11% higher in Varna. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,388 per month in Varna versus $1,038 in Sunny Beach – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,038 in Sunny Beach versus $1,388 in Varna, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sunny Beach but tight or insufficient in Varna. The gap between the two cities makes Sunny Beach the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Sunny Beach delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $1,038 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Sunny Beach hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Varna and Sunny Beach 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 Sunny Beach gentler on the wallet – expenses run 34% less than in Varna. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.