Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Veliko Tarnovo and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Veliko Tarnovo: $1,006 a month against $2,223 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $14,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Veliko Tarnovo
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Veliko Tarnovo Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Veliko Tarnovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,006

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,223

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Veliko Tarnovo and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Veliko Tarnovo and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $2,223 in Lisbon.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,006
Lisbon $2,223

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,574 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $3,271 in Lisbon.

Veliko Tarnovo $1,574
Lisbon $3,271

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,141 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $4,319 in Lisbon.

Veliko Tarnovo $2,141
Lisbon $4,319

Living in Veliko Tarnovo costs roughly 55% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Veliko Tarnovo is 25% below, Lisbon is 65% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 BGN 19.35

$16.50 €14.67

-32.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.76 BGN 69.2

$61.3 €54.5

-35.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.61 BGN 16.73

$11.27 €10.03

-14.73%

Cappuccino

$1.85 BGN 3.21

$3.06 €2.72

-39.54%

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

$1.31 BGN 2.29

$2.26 €2.01

-42.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 BGN 1.53

$1.73 €1.54

-49.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 BGN 3.53

$3.39 €3.02

-40.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 BGN 4.85

$3.40 €3.02

-17.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 BGN 3.23

$1.12 €1.00

66.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.05 BGN 1.83

$1.86 €1.65

-43.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.48 BGN 4.31

$1.53 €1.36

62.09%

Eggs

$3.67 BGN 6.39

$3.96 €3.53

-7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.17 BGN 17.70

$12.76 €11.35

-20.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.00 BGN 13.92

$7.90 €7.02

1.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.43 BGN 21.63

$16.97 €15.09

-26.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 BGN 2.78

$2.27 €2.02

-29.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 BGN 3.57

$1.75 €1.55

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.96 BGN 3.41

$1.85 €1.64

5.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BGN 4.48

$2.57 €2.28

0.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 BGN 1.90

$1.86 €1.65

-41.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 BGN 2.04

$2.02 €1.80

-42.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BGN 1.70

$1.44 €1.28

-31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 BGN 1.27

$0.82 €0.73

-10.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 BGN 7.13

$6.56 €5.83

-37.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 BGN 11.69

$5.62 €5.00

19.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 BGN 2.10

$1.28 €1.14

-5.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 BGN 2.79

$2.07 €1.84

-22.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.56

$2.35 €2.09

-61.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.23 BGN 40.42

$44.18 €39.30

-47.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 BGN 2.02

$3.99 €3.55

-70.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 BGN 1.17

$1.09 €0.97

-38.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.18 BGN 19.46

$16.64 €14.81

-32.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$2.28 €2.03

-31.58%

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

$30.5K BGN 53.1K

$33.7K €30.0K

-9.39%

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

$30.6K BGN 53.3K

$39.3K €35.0K

-22.08%

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

$95.9 BGN 167

$167 €149

-42.77%

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

$18.81 BGN 32.73

$18.80 €16.72

0.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.86 BGN 27.59

$33.09 €29.43

-52.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.50 BGN 53.1

$46.01 €40.93

-33.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.69 BGN 34.26

$19.19 €17.07

2.61%

Cinema Ticket

$6.91 BGN 12.02

$9.84 €8.75

-29.78%

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

$677 €602

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.95 BGN 81.7

$101 €90.1

-53.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.58 BGN 53.2

$45.76 €40.70

-33.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 BGN 213

$100.0 €88.9

22.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 BGN 162

$123 €109

-24.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 BGN 611

$1,614 €1,436

-78.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 BGN 453

$1,197 €1,065

-78.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$572 BGN 995

$2,862 €2,545

-80.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 BGN 731

$1,990 €1,770

-78.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,407 BGN 4,187

$7,577 €6,740

-68.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,364 BGN 2,373

$4,307 €3,831

-68.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$952 BGN 1,657

$1,588 €1,412

-40.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.74

3.85

-28.83%

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

Last update for Veliko Tarnovo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Veliko Tarnovo

$260 25.9%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.9% 360% $937

Groceries & Markets

Veliko Tarnovo

$244 24.2%

Lisbon

$269 12.1% 10.6% $26

Eating Out

Veliko Tarnovo

$164 16.3%

Lisbon

$242 10.9% 47.3% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Veliko Tarnovo

$132 13.1%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 26.3% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Veliko Tarnovo

$131 13%

Lisbon

$219 9.9% 68.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Veliko Tarnovo

$44 4.4%

Lisbon

$66 3% 48.3% $21

Getting Around

Veliko Tarnovo

$31 3.1%

Lisbon

$63 2.8% 101% $32

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $351 in Veliko Tarnovo and $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 67% 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: $40.00 in Veliko Tarnovo vs $61.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $269 per month, with Veliko Tarnovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Veliko Tarnovo

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

16:25 4:25 PM

2 h behind Veliko Tarnovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

71,150

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Veliko Tarnovo Lisbon 2,940 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Veliko Tarnovo
Lisbon

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

Veliko Tarnovo vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Veliko Tarnovo and Lisbon differ by about 121% in total monthly costs ($1,006 vs $2,223 including rent). Veliko Tarnovo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 67% lower in Lisbon. 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: $351 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $1,614 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

All in, you'll spend $1,006 per month in Veliko Tarnovo versus $2,223 in Lisbon – a 121% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,006 in Veliko Tarnovo versus $2,223 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Veliko Tarnovo but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Veliko Tarnovo 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, Veliko Tarnovo and Lisbon 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 Veliko Tarnovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 121% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.