ImmigrationDBVerified immigration data
On this page

Living in Stara Zagora

Annual PM2.5 was 17 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. In September 2021, the unemployment rate was 7.1%. The population of Stara Zagora, in Bulgaria, was 141,748 at the end of 2025.

Which Bulgaria-wide rules apply when you move to Stara Zagora?

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 Stara Zagora.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Stara Zagora?

Average net cold rent is 6 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): 6 EUR/m²/month · Imot.bg12

City-level rent is published below; no city-level cost-of-living basket is published for Stara Zagora yet.

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average net rent (nettokalt)6 EUR/m²/month4 Aug 2026Imot.bg12Supplemental estimate · Supplemental context

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 360 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 6 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

What is the unemployment rate in Stara Zagora?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality10

MetricValuePeriodSource
Unemployment rate7.1 %7 Sept 2021NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality10Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2009–2022
Unemployment rate in Stara Zagora by year, %1.1%4.0%6.8%9.7%200920152017201920222.1%%

Unemployment rate fell 65.2% between 2009 and 2022, from 6.1% to 2.1%.

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Stara Zagora. 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 Stara Zagora. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportJAM3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official
Distance to nearest airport58 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports11Official

Language courses and integration

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

Climate and air quality

Is the air quality good in Stara Zagora?

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
Stara Zagora annual air pollutant levels against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limitsCity valueWHO guidelineEU limit52517.0PM2.5154020.0PM10104025.0NO₂µg/m³

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean25 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)2Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean20 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)3Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean17 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data1Official
Climate Monthly Extreme High CJan 16.52 · Feb 20.4 · Mar 27.46 · Apr 29.28 · May 35.87 · Jun 40.01 · Jul 42.43 · Aug 39.83 · Sep 36.64 · Oct 32.08 · Nov 25.88 · Dec 20.29 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Climate Monthly Extreme Low CJan -20.65 · Feb -22.16 · Mar -18.29 · Apr -7.33 · May 1.62 · Jun 5.51 · Jul 8.93 · Aug 10.23 · Sep 2.4 · Oct -5.45 · Nov -8.46 · Dec -16.39 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center8Official
Average temperature by monthJan -0.49 · Feb 1.52 · Mar 5.86 · Apr 10.56 · May 16.3 · Jun 20.77 · Jul 23.53 · Aug 23.71 · Sep 18.45 · Oct 12.17 · Nov 6.71 · Dec 1.13 °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
Veliko Tŭrnovo77,049 residentsSofia1,221,172 residentsKostinbrod11,677 residentsRadomir11,502 residentsTryavna6,940 residentsAksakovo6,932 residents

Population and city profile

How many people live in Stara Zagora?

The published population was 141,748 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities9

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population
Stara Zagora residents by nationalityBy nationalityNational passport98.3%Foreign residents 1.7%

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area1,094 km²31 Dec 2024Eurostat GISCO, European Commission6Official
Foreign-resident share1.9 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat4Official
Foreign residents2,388 people31 Dec 2022Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora5Official
G01 Area Km285.2 km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
G01 Density Per Km21,623 people/km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com7Official
Population141,748 people31 Dec 2025NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities9Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2011–2022
Foreign residents in Stara Zagora by year, residents5681,2201,8712,523201120152017201920222,388residents

Foreign residents rose 239.7% between 2011 and 2022, from 703 to 2,388.

Foreign residents2,388 people31 Dec 2022Official source · Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora
Population141,748 people31 Dec 2025Official source · NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities
Average net rent (nettokalt)6 EUR/m²/month4 Aug 2026Independent source · Imot.bg
Unemployment rate7.1 %7 Sept 2021Official source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality
NO₂ — annual mean25 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)
PM10 — annual mean20 µg/m³31 Dec 2024Official source · EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)
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
16
Decision domains
3
Current facts
16

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora?

The published population was 141,748 people in 2025. Source: NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities.

How much does it cost to rent in Stara Zagora?

Average net cold rent is 6 EUR/m² per month (2026), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 420 EUR a month before utilities. Source: Imot.bg.

Is the air quality good in Stara Zagora?

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 Stara Zagora?

The unemployment rate is 7.1 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.

How many foreign residents live in Stara Zagora?

2,388 people residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora.

Is Stara Zagora 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). Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: rent, jobs, climate [ImmigrationDB compilation; snapshot approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0; version approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/ Retrieved 2026-09-12. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_stara-zagora-bulgaria-rent-jobs-climate_c50f45d79c55,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: rent, jobs, climate},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-12},
  version = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  snapshot = {approved-static-d7ed373c115d60d0},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-12. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: rent, jobs, climate](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/) — 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 Zelen klin-Stara Zagora) 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 Zelen klin-Stara Zagora) 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), Stara Zagora 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 Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities NSI Infostat 1062 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
  10. NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
Show 2 more sources
  1. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  2. Imot.bg imot.bg · checked 2026-08-04

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.