Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vratsa and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Vratsa: $826 a month against $2,210 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $16,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vratsa, Bulgaria
Lisbon, Portugal
Vratsa
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$826
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,210
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Vratsa 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 Vratsa and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $826 in Vratsa versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

  • Vratsa $826
  • Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,255 in Vratsa versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

  • Vratsa $1,255
  • Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,684 in Vratsa versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

  • Vratsa $1,684
  • Lisbon $4,341

Living in Vratsa costs roughly 63% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Vratsa is 39% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.49 BGN 14.85
$16.65 €14.91
-49.01%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.23 BGN 49.41
$61.7 €55.3
-54.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.65 BGN 9.88
$11.36 €10.17
-50.26%
Cappuccino
$2.22 BGN 3.88
$2.97 €2.66
-25.25%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.56 BGN 2.73
$2.29 €2.05
-31.88%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.82 BGN 1.44
$1.74 €1.56
-52.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.68 BGN 2.94
$3.40 €3.05
-50.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 BGN 3.55
$3.31 €2.96
-38.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 BGN 2.32
$1.16 €1.04
14.66%
White Bread (500g)
$0.84 BGN 1.47
$1.91 €1.71
-56.02%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.35 BGN 2.36
$1.51 €1.35
-10.60%
Eggs
$2.28 BGN 3.99
$4.02 €3.60
-43.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.35 BGN 16.36
$12.94 €11.59
-27.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.62 BGN 9.83
$7.77 €6.96
-27.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.41 BGN 14.71
$17.76 €15.91
-52.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.25 BGN 2.19
$2.30 €2.06
-45.65%
Banana (1kg)
$1.64 BGN 2.87
$1.73 €1.55
-5.20%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.11 BGN 1.94
$1.86 €1.66
-40.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.73 BGN 3.02
$2.59 €2.32
-33.20%
Potato (1kg)
$0.98 BGN 1.72
$1.82 €1.63
-46.15%
Onion (1kg)
$0.71 BGN 1.25
$1.97 €1.76
-63.96%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.56 BGN 0.98
$1.47 €1.32
-61.90%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 BGN 0.95
$0.72 €0.65
-25.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.49 BGN 6.10
$6.58 €5.90
-46.96%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.22 BGN 9.13
$5.61 €5.02
-6.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.08 BGN 1.90
$1.36 €1.22
-20.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 BGN 3.04
$2.14 €1.91
-18.69%
🚌 Getting Around
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.82 BGN 1.44
$2.33 €2.09
-64.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.24 BGN 44.17
$44.68 €40.01
-43.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.88 BGN 1.54
$3.85 €3.45
-77.14%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.62 BGN 1.08
$1.07 €0.96
-42.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$6.45 BGN 11.28
$16.46 €14.74
-60.81%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.56 BGN 2.73
$2.20 €1.97
-29.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.4K BGN 53.3K
$34.2K €30.6K
-10.98%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.4K BGN 41.0K
$38.7K €34.7K
-39.54%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$94.3 BGN 165
$161 €144
-41.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.63 BGN 22.09
$18.41 €16.49
-31.40%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.23 BGN 21.40
$32.74 €29.32
-62.65%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$22.92 BGN 40.11
$44.55 €39.90
-48.55%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.29 BGN 33.77
$19.10 €17.10
0.99%
Cinema Ticket
$5.80 BGN 10.15
$9.60 €8.60
-39.58%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$223 BGN 390
$668 €598
-66.66%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,257 BGN 3,949
$17.6K €15.8K
-87.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.65 BGN 53.6
$102 €91.4
-69.96%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.41 BGN 33.97
$44.46 €39.82
-56.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$64.4 BGN 113
$98.5 €88.2
-34.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$50.4 BGN 88.2
$124 €111
-59.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$337 BGN 590
$1,608 €1,440
-79.02%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$253 BGN 444
$1,190 €1,066
-78.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 BGN 962
$2,812 €2,519
-80.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$401 BGN 703
$2,013 €1,803
-80.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,309 BGN 2,291
$7,839 €7,021
-83.30%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,114 BGN 1,950
$4,576 €4,098
-75.65%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vratsa
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,080 BGN 1,890
$1,575 €1,411
-31.42%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.99
3.85
-22.34%

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

Last update for Vratsa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vratsa
$253
Lisbon
$1.2K 370% $937
Groceries & Markets
Vratsa
$179
Lisbon
$272 52% $93
Eating Out
Vratsa
$133
Lisbon
$243 81.8% $109
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vratsa
$119
Lisbon
$212 78.2% $93
Clothing & Footwear
Vratsa
$74
Lisbon
$166 124% $92
Sport & Entertainment
Vratsa
$35
Lisbon
$64 84.6% $29
Getting Around
Vratsa
$33
Lisbon
$63 94.5% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $337 in Vratsa and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 46% 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: $28 in Vratsa vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $272 per month, with Vratsa cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Vratsa
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
23:25 11:25 PM
21:25 9:25 PM
2 h behind Vratsa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,877
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vratsa Lisbon 2,770 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vratsa
  • 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
Vratsa vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Vratsa and in Lisbon?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $826 in Vratsa and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Vratsa is about 63% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 31% lower in Vratsa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Vratsa and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $337 in Vratsa versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Vratsa and Lisbon?
Childcare runs $223 in Vratsa versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more doable on $1,000 per month?
At $826 in Vratsa versus $2,210 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Vratsa but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Vratsa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Vratsa and Lisbon?
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.
Is Vratsa or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Vratsa and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.
Where should expats move: Vratsa or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Vratsa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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