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Living in Plovdiv

Plovdiv had 333,994 residents at the end of 2025 and is a city in Bulgaria. An estimate placed a monthly public-transport pass at €25.56 in August 2026. Annual PM2.5 was 17 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. Practical estimates in August 2026 placed basic utilities for an 85 m² home at €100.54 per month, fixed internet at €13.71 per month, and an inexpensive restaurant meal at €8.69. A monthly estimate placed a mobile plan with at least 10 GB of data at €8 in July 2026.

Which Bulgaria-wide rules apply when you move to Plovdiv?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Visa and entry rulesPassport-specific entry and national residence context.BenefitsCountry-wide eligibility and official application routes.Taxes in BulgariaNational rates and thresholds that apply in Plovdiv.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Plovdiv?

Average net cold rent is 7.67 EUR/m² per month (2026), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 7.67 EUR/m²/month · Imot.bg14
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Plovdiv recurring monthly costs, € per month€466Private kindergarten€101Utilities, 85 m² flat€36Fitness club€26Transport pass€14Internet, 60 Mbps€8Mobile plan, 10 GB€ / month

Supplemental estimate lane; these items are not official statistics.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly36.32 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Col Groceries Index Basket Eur Month58.07 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited13.71 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly465.6 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant8.69 eur3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB8.36 EUR/month31 Jul 2026Cost of Living in Plovdiv. Jul 2026. Prices in Plovdiv15Commercial estimate · Supplemental context
Monthly transport pass25.56 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home100.5 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.67 EUR/m²/month4 Aug 2026Imot.bg14Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 460 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 7.67 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2026

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 6.3% in September 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Plovdiv?

The unemployment rate is 6.3 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality11

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate6.3 %7 Sept 2021NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality11Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2009–2022
Unemployment rate in Plovdiv by year, %1.0%4.4%7.7%11.1%200920152017201920222.1%%

Unemployment rate fell 66.4% between 2009 and 2022, from 6.3% to 2.1%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Plovdiv. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Employment Agency — Public employment service

Bulgarian Employment Agency

Job Search
Search jobs
Open the Bulgaria service overview

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Plovdiv. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport2 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights12Official
Nearest airportPDV3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official
Distance to nearest airport13 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official
Public transport monthly pass25.56 EUR/month3 Aug 2026Numbeo15Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Plovdiv. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Free Bulgarian language courses for people displaced from Ukraine — State Language Course

Government of Bulgaria / Bulgaria for Ukraine

For people displaced from Ukraine, adults, children.

BulgarianCEFR A1–B2In Person, Onlinefree
Open official information
Open the full Bulgaria section
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Plovdiv.

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Plovdiv?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 17 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data1

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits
Plovdiv annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52517.0PM2.5154030.0PM10104017.0NO₂µg/m³

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv)2Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean30 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv)3Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data1Official
Annual mean temperature (modelled)12.5 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Annual precipitation (modelled)661.1 mm/year2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January mean temperature (modelled)0.46 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
January minimum temperature (modelled)-23 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July maximum temperature (modelled)43.16 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
July mean temperature (modelled)24.12 °C2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Daily precipitation rate (modelled)1.81 mm/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Solar exposure (modelled)3.89 kWh/m²/day2001-2020NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology9Modelled grid data · coordinate-grid estimate
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 20.61 · Feb 23.82 · Mar 29.54 · Apr 30.46 · May 34.03 · Jun 39.91 · Jul 43.16 · Aug 39.52 · Sep 37.77 · Oct 34.26 · Nov 26.55 · Dec 22.17 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -23 · Feb -21.1 · Mar -15.98 · Apr -8.02 · May 2.64 · Jun 6.48 · Jul 10.6 · Aug 10.5 · Sep 2.45 · Oct -4.38 · Nov -7.13 · Dec -14.5 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Average temperature by monthJan 0.46 · Feb 2.53 · Mar 6.69 · Apr 11.21 · May 16.88 · Jun 21.36 · Jul 24.12 · Aug 24.24 · Sep 19.17 · Oct 13.08 · Nov 7.61 · Dec 2.04 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official

Cities of a similar size in Bulgaria

Closest published populations, for a like-for-like comparison.

All Bulgaria cities
Sofia1,221,172 residentsVeliko Tŭrnovo77,049 residentsKostinbrod11,677 residentsRadomir11,502 residentsTryavna6,940 residentsAksakovo6,932 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Plovdiv?

The published population was 333,994 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities10

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Plovdiv residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport98.7%Foreign residents 1.3%

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area101.9 km²31 Dec 2024Eurostat GISCO, European Commission6Official
Foreign-resident share1.8 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat4Official
Foreign residents4,282 people31 Dec 2019Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Plovdiv5Official
G01 Area Km2101.9 km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
G01 Density Per Km23,576 people/km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
Population333,994 people31 Dec 2025NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities10Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2011–2022
Foreign residents in Plovdiv by year, residents2,4663,8135,1596,506201120152017201920226,227residents

Foreign residents rose 126.8% between 2011 and 2022, from 2,745 to 6,227.

Foreign residents4,282 people31 Dec 2019Official source · Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Plovdiv
Population333,994 people31 Dec 2025Official source · NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities
Average net rent (nettokalt)7.67 EUR/m²/month4 Aug 2026Independent source · Imot.bg
Unemployment rate6.3 %7 Sept 2021Official source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality
NO₂ — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv)
PM10 — annual mean30 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv)
Every value keeps its source, geographic scope and verification date · Last checked 2026-08-27

This city record is still being completed

The URL stays available with its sourced facts, but it is not included in search discovery yet. The page needs a broader set of current decision facts and a useful internal comparison before ImmigrationDB presents it as a complete city guide.

Verified metrics
25
Decision domains
3
Current facts
25

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Plovdiv when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Plovdiv?

The published population was 333,994 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities.

How much does it cost to rent in Plovdiv?

Average net cold rent is 7.67 EUR/m² per month (2026), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 537 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Imot.bg.

Is the air quality good in Plovdiv?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 17 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data.

What is the unemployment rate in Plovdiv?

The unemployment rate is 6.3 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.

How many foreign residents live in Plovdiv?

4,282 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Plovdiv.

How much is public transport in Plovdiv?

A monthly transport pass is 25.56 EUR/month. This is a supplemental estimate, not an official municipal measurement. Source: Numbeo.

Is Plovdiv a good place to live?

ImmigrationDB does not yet have enough current, multi-domain evidence and internal comparison context to answer that reliably. This stable data record remains available while the missing evidence is collected.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, September 12). Plovdiv, Bulgaria: rent, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/plovdiv/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_plovdiv-bulgaria-rent-cost-of-living_f3e2c74d10c8,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Plovdiv, Bulgaria: rent, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/plovdiv/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Plovdiv, Bulgaria: rent, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/plovdiv/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; retrieved 2026-09-12; built 2026-09-12.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  2. EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  3. EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Kamenitsa-Plovdiv) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  4. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  5. Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Plovdiv Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  6. Eurostat GISCO, European Commission gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  7. migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
  8. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  9. NASA POWER 20-year meteorological and solar climatology NASA POWER · power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-09-12
  10. NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities NSI Infostat 1062 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
Show 5 more sources
  1. NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Imot.bg imot.bg · checked 2026-08-04
  5. Numbeo numbeo.com · checked 2026-08-03

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.