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Living in Stara Zagora

In Stara Zagora, unemployment is 7.1% (2021).

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.

Last checked 2026-10-0216 sources

Population141,748people31 Dec 2025Official source · NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities
Average gross salary1,054EUR/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 rent1.75EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 — 9% belowOfficial source · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2
Unemployment rate7.1%country median 9.2% — 23% belowOfficial source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality
Recorded crime1,300incidents 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 mean17µg/m³country median 17.0 — about the sameOfficial source · EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data

Cheaper rent than 65% of Bulgarian cities that publish it and lower unemployment than 89% of Bulgarian cities that publish it.

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 1.75 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): 1.75 EUR/m²/month · NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m211
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Stara Zagora recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€20
Mobile plan, 10 GB€16
Net rent across major citiesStara Zagora highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Stara Zagora highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Sofia€3.83
Plovdiv€2.75
Varna€2.42
Shumen€2.33
Stara Zagora€1.75
Pazardzhik€1.67
Show the other 6 cities
Blagoevgrad€2.25
Vratsa€2.20
Burgas€2.00
Veliko Tarnovo€1.92
Ruse€1.92
Haskovo€1.83
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited20 EUR/month30 Sept 2026A1 Bulgaria fixed internet1Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB15.9 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Vivacom mobile data plan16Official · national market
Average net rent (nettokalt)1.75 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.9231 Dec 2020NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m211Official

Is Stara Zagora 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%
Family58%strong on family, weak on education · range 47–69%
Retirement57%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 46–68%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 105 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 1.75 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

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 municipality13

Unemployment across cities in BulgariaUnemployment in Stara Zagora is 7.1%. Of 36 cities with data, 12 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings1,054 EUR/month31 Dec 2024Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)2Official · county
Unemployment rate7.1 %country median 9.2%7 Sept 2021NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality13Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2009–2022

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.

Safety

How safe is Stara Zagora?

Police recorded about 1,300 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 population15

MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents1,300 incidents per 100,00031 Dec 2025Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population15Official · county

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportJAM3 Aug 2026OurAirports14Official
Distance to nearest airport58 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports14Official

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.

Find courses near 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 data3

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 mean25 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)4Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean20 µg/m³31 Dec 2024EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Zelen klin-Stara Zagora)5Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean17 µg/m³country median 17.0 — about the same31 Dec 2024EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data3Official
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 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 Center10Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -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 Center10Official
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 Center10Official

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 municipalities12

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area1,094 km²31 Dec 2024Eurostat GISCO, European Commission8Official
Foreign-resident share1.9 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat6Official
Foreign residents2,388 people31 Dec 2022Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora7Official
City area85.2 km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com9Official
Population density1,623 people/km²31 Dec 2024migrationfit.com9Official
Population141,748 people31 Dec 2025NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities12Official
Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2011–2022

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

Alternatives for people set on Stara Zagora

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.

Pernik as a Stara Zagora alternative in the same country

Better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2.

  • Rent: €1.17/m² Pernik vs €1.75/m² Stara Zagora−33%
  • Foreign residents: 0.7% Pernik vs 1.9% Stara Zagora−63%
  • Unemployment: 9.0% Pernik vs 7.1% Stara Zagora+27%
  • Residents: 80,576 Pernik vs 141,748 Stara Zagora−43%
  • Nearest airport: 33.0 km Pernik vs 58.0 km Stara Zagora−43%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,140 Pernik vs 1,300 Stara Zagora−12%
  • Annual PM2.5: 17.0 µg/m³ Pernik vs 17.0 µg/m³ Stara Zagorasame level
Full comparisonMore about Pernik

Budapest as a Stara Zagora 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 €1.75/m² (2020) Stara Zagorano percentage
  • Nearest airport: 18.0 km Budapest vs 58.0 km Stara Zagora−69%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 2,396 Budapest vs 1,300 Stara Zagorano percentage
  • Annual PM2.5: 13.0 µg/m³ Budapest vs 17.0 µg/m³ Stara Zagora−24%
Full comparisonMore about Budapest

Alternative cities in Bulgaria

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

All Bulgaria cities
Ruse136,112 residentsSliven109,879 residentsPleven108,440 residentsBurgas195,912 residentsPazardzhik87,766 residentsPernik80,576 residents

How does Stara Zagora compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Stara Zagora in rankings

#5 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Bulgaria #5 of 30 in Largest cities in Bulgaria #6 of 16 in Most international cities in Bulgaria #7 of 17 in Cheapest cities to rent in Bulgaria #13 of 13 in Cities with cleanest air in Bulgaria

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.

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; Stara Zagora'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 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 1.75 EUR/m² per month (2020), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 123 EUR a month before utilities. Source: NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2.

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.

How safe is Stara Zagora?

Police recorded about 1,300 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 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 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora.

Is Stara Zagora a good place to live?

Stara Zagora 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). Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version e751f44b2124534cc6e010b336b63107]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_stara-zagora-bulgaria-population-rent-salary-jobs_34f2b138ffc2,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {e751f44b2124534cc6e010b336b63107},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Stara Zagora, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/stara-zagora/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version e751f44b2124534cc6e010b336b63107; 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. A1 Bulgaria fixed internet a1.bg · checked 2026-09-15
  2. 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
  3. EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics — validated PM2.5 station data EEA Air Quality Annual Statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-26
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  7. Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Stara Zagora Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
  8. Eurostat GISCO, European Commission gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-03
  9. migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
  10. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
Show 6 more sources
  1. NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2 NSI City Statistics · nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-18
  2. NSI Infostat 1062 — population by sex, residence districts and municipalities NSI Infostat 1062 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
  3. NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
  4. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  5. 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
  6. Vivacom mobile data plan vivacom.bg · checked 2026-09-15

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.