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Living in Ruse

In Ruse, unemployment is 7.2% (2021).

A monthly estimate placed private kindergarten fees at €262 in December 2022. Ruse is in Bulgaria; its population was 136,112 at the end of 2025. For Ruse, annual PM2.5 was 15 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Last checked 2026-10-0215 sources

Population136,112people31 Dec 2025Official source · NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities
Average gross salary958.3EUR/month31 Dec 2024District figureOfficial source · Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)
Average net rent1.92EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 — about the sameOfficial source · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2
Unemployment rate7.2%country median 9.2% — 22% belowOfficial source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality
Recorded crime1,174incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025District figureOfficial source · Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population
PM2.5, annual mean15µg/m³country median 17.0 — 12% belowOfficial source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data

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

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 Ruse.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

Practical estimates in December 2022 placed basic utilities for an 85 m² home at €76.55 per month, fixed internet at €10.1 per month, and an inexpensive restaurant meal at €7.56.

How much does it cost to rent in Ruse?

Average net cold rent is 1.92 EUR/m² per month (2020), 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): 1.92 EUR/m²/month · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m29
What recurs every month6 published recurring costs, € per month
Ruse recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Private kindergarten€262
Utilities, 85 m² flat€77
Transport pass€29
Fitness club€25
Mobile plan, 10 GB€16
Internet, 60 Mbps€10

Supplemental estimate lane, not official statistics: Utilities, 85 m² flat, Private kindergarten, Transport pass, Fitness club, Internet, 60 Mbps. The others are published prices.

Net rent across major citiesRuse highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Ruse highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Sofia€3.83
Plovdiv€2.75
Varna€2.42
Ruse€1.92
Stara Zagora€1.75
Pazardzhik€1.67
Show the other 6 cities
Shumen€2.33
Blagoevgrad€2.25
Vratsa€2.20
Burgas€2.00
Veliko Tarnovo€1.92
Haskovo€1.83
MetricValuePeriodSource
Fitness club membership, monthly25.23 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited10.1 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Private kindergarten, monthly261.8 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Meal at an inexpensive restaurant7.56 EUR31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Mobile plan, 10 GB15.9 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Vivacom mobile data plan14Official · national market
Monthly transport pass29.27 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Basic utilities, 85 m² home76.55 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v215Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context
Average net rent (nettokalt)1.92 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 — about the same31 Dec 2020NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m29Official

Is Ruse a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker57%strong on housing, weak on air quality · range 48–66%
Skilled employee61%strong on housing, weak on education · range 52–70%
Student67%strong on cost, weak on education · range 56–78%
Family57%strong on family, weak on education · range 46–68%
Retirement58%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 47–69%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 115 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 1.92 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: 2020

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 7.2% in September 2021.

What is the unemployment rate in Ruse?

The unemployment rate is 7.2 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality11

Unemployment across cities in BulgariaUnemployment in Ruse is 7.2%. Of 36 cities with data, 12 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings958.3 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)1Official · county
Unemployment rate7.2 %country median 9.2%7 Sept 2021NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality11Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2009–2022

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 Ruse. 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 Ruse. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Safety

How safe is Ruse?

Police recorded about 1,174 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population13

MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents1,174 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population13Official · county

Mobility and administration

An estimate placed a monthly public-transport pass at €29 in December 2022.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportROU3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official
Distance to nearest airport19 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports12Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Ruse. 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 Ruse.

Find courses near Ruse

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Ruse?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 15 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 data2

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

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean18.1 µg/m³31 Dec 2013Eurostat3Official
PM2.5 — annual mean15 µg/m³country median 17.031 Dec 2024EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data2Official
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 16.25 · Feb 20.63 · Mar 26.26 · Apr 29.14 · May 32.44 · Jun 40.39 · Jul 42.33 · Aug 41.9 · Sep 37.47 · Oct 32.56 · Nov 26.83 · Dec 18.82 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -26.56 · Feb -24.43 · Mar -17.35 · Apr -3.62 · May 3.13 · Jun 6.74 · Jul 10.57 · Aug 11.18 · Sep 3.53 · Oct -3.87 · Nov -11.17 · Dec -21.49 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Average temperature by monthJan -1.12 · Feb 1.5 · Mar 6.73 · Apr 12.11 · May 17.98 · Jun 22.53 · Jul 25.26 · Aug 25.27 · Sep 19.78 · Oct 12.99 · Nov 6.97 · Dec 0.83 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official

Population and city profile

How many people live in Ruse?

The published population was 136,112 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities10

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area568.9 km²31 Dec 2024Eurostat GISCO, European Commission6Official
Foreign-resident share1.4 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat4Official
Foreign residents1,810 people31 Dec 2022Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Ruse5Official
City area127.1 km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
Population density1,140 people/km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
Population136,112 people31 Dec 2025NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities10Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2011–2022

Foreign residents rose 107.8% between 2011 and 2022, from 871 to 1,810.

Alternatives for people set on Ruse

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Burgas as a Ruse alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Foreign residents: 2.8% Burgas vs 1.4% Ruse+100%
  • Nearest airport: 8.0 km Burgas vs 19.0 km Ruse−58%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,448 Burgas vs 1,174 Ruseno percentage
  • Residents: 195,912 Burgas vs 136,112 Ruse+44%
  • Rent: €2.00/m² Burgas vs €1.92/m² Ruse+4%
  • Basic utilities, 85 m²: €89 Burgas vs €77 Ruse+17%
  • Unemployment: 7.2% Burgas vs 7.2% Rusesame level
Full comparisonMore about Burgas

Budapest as a Ruse alternative in another country

Better on 2 of 2 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0. Rent and recorded crime, per 100k cannot be compared like for like.

  • Rent: €16.94/m² (2026) Budapest vs €1.92/m² (2020) Ruseno percentage
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,396 Budapest vs 1,174 Ruseno percentage
  • Annual PM2.5: 13.0 µg/m³ Budapest vs 15.0 µg/m³ Ruse−13%
  • Nearest airport: 18.0 km Budapest vs 19.0 km Ruse−5%
Full comparisonMore about Budapest

Alternative cities in Bulgaria

Other cities in Bulgaria to compare with Ruse, nearest in population first.

All Bulgaria cities
Stara Zagora141,748 residentsSliven109,879 residentsPleven108,440 residentsBurgas195,912 residentsPazardzhik87,766 residentsPernik80,576 residents

How does Ruse compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Ruse's.

Open the full comparison

Ruse in rankings

#5 of 13 in Cities with cleanest air in Bulgaria #6 of 30 in Largest cities in Bulgaria #8 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Bulgaria #9 of 17 in Cheapest cities to rent in Bulgaria #9 of 16 in Most international cities in Bulgaria

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Ruse 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.

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 7 to 16, and public school is free. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: Free Bulgarian-language training for migrant children (school-based intensive language preparation). How to enrol a child (mon.gov.bg).

A country-wide rule for Bulgaria; Ruse's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Common questions

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

How many people live in Ruse?

The published population was 136,112 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities.

How much does it cost to rent in Ruse?

Average net cold rent is 1.92 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 134 EUR a month before utilities. Source: NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2.

Is the air quality good in Ruse?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 15 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.

How safe is Ruse?

Police recorded about 1,174 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population.

What is the unemployment rate in Ruse?

The unemployment rate is 7.2 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.

How many foreign residents live in Ruse?

1,810 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Ruse.

Is Ruse a good place to live?

Ruse may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

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, October 16). Ruse, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 6889bc39995737ae38f2f0ea0c281001]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/ruse/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_ruse-bulgaria-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_c527b3a19d15,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Ruse, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {6889bc39995737ae38f2f0ea0c281001},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/ruse/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Ruse, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/ruse/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 6889bc39995737ae38f2f0ea0c281001; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

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. Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR) nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-23
  2. EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  3. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  5. Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Ruse 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. NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2 NSI City Statistics · nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-18
  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. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population mvr.bg · checked 2026-09-28
  4. Vivacom mobile data plan vivacom.bg · checked 2026-09-15
  5. Global Cost of Living — Kaggle snapshot v2 Global Cost of Living · kaggle.com · checked 2026-07-27

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.