Living in Veliko Tarnovo

In Veliko Tarnovo, unemployment is 6.6% (2021).

Veliko Tarnovo (Bulgarian: Veliko Tŭrnovo) is one of the cities recorded in Bulgaria. The population of Veliko Tarnovo totalled 77,049 at the end of 2024. At the end of 2024, annual PM2.5 reached 14 µg/m³.

Last checked 2026-10-0217 sources

Population77,049people31 Dec 2024Official source · National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria

Average gross salary918.8EUR/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 rate6.6%country median 9.2% — 28% belowOfficial source · NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality

Recorded crime1,222incidents 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 mean14µg/m³31 Dec 2024Nearest stationOfficial source · European Environment Agency

Which Bulgaria-wide rules apply when you move to Veliko Tarnovo?

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 Veliko Tarnovo.Healthcare eligibilityCountry-wide insurance and residence conditions.

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

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/m2¹¹

What recurs every month3 published recurring costs, € per month

€ / month

Transport pass€51

Internet, 60 Mbps€20

Mobile plan, 10 GB€16

Net rent across major citiesVeliko Tarnovo highlighted among comparable cities

net rent, € / m² / month

Sofia€3.83

Plovdiv€2.75

Varna€2.42

Veliko Tarnovo€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

Ruse€1.92

Haskovo€1.83

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited	20 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	A1 Bulgaria fixed internet¹Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB	15.9 EUR/month	30 Sept 2026	Vivacom mobile data plan¹⁷Official · national market
Monthly transport pass	51.13 EUR/month	31 Dec 2025	Veliko Tarnovo municipal monthly transport card¹⁶Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)	1.92 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €1.92 — about the same	31 Dec 2020	NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2¹¹Official

Is Veliko Tarnovo 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 worker60%strong on housing, weak on air quality · range 50–70%

Skilled employee62%strong on housing, weak on education · range 53–71%

Student67%strong on cost, weak on education · range 56–78%

Family58%strong on family, weak on education · range 47–69%

Retirement63%strong on safety, weak on admin · range 50–76%

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

What is the unemployment rate in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The unemployment rate is 6.6 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality¹²

Unemployment across cities in BulgariaUnemployment in Veliko Tarnovo is 6.6%. Of 36 cities with data, 12 have unemployment of 8 to under 10%.

4–66–88–1010–1212–1414–1622–24

Veliko Tarnovo 6.6%

Unemployment rate (%)

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Average gross earnings	918.8 EUR/month	31 Dec 2024	Average annual wages and salaries of the employees under labour contract by statistical regions and districts in 2024 (EUR)²Official · county
Unemployment rate	6.6 %country median 9.2%	7 Sept 2021	NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality¹²Official

Public employment service

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

Safety

How safe is Veliko Tŭrnovo?

Police recorded about 1,222 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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents	1,222 incidents per 100,000	31 Dec 2025	Report on the activity of the Ministry of Interior in 2025, Figure 2: registered crimes per 100,000 population¹⁵Official · county

Mobility and administration

Veliko Tarnovo's nearest airport was PDV, 129 km away and offered 2 direct destinations.

Metric	Value	Period	Source
Direct destinations from the nearest major airport	2 count	3 Aug 2026	OpenFlights¹³Official
Distance to the nearest major airport	129 km	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official
Nearest major airport (IATA code)	PDV	3 Aug 2026	OurAirports¹⁴Official

Language courses and integration

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

Find courses near Veliko Tarnovo

Climate and air quality

Monthly mean temperature moved from −0.8°C in January to 23.1°C in July.

Is the air quality good in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 14 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency⁵

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

Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³

PM2.514WHO 5 · EU 25

PM1025WHO 15 · EU 40

NO₂20WHO 10 · EU 40

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
NO₂ — annual mean	20 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Gorna Oryahovitsa)³Official · nearest-station reading
PM10 — annual mean	25 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station RIEW-Veliko Tarnovo)⁴Official · nearest-station reading
PM2.5 — annual mean	14 µg/m³	31 Dec 2024	European Environment Agency⁵Official · nearest-station reading
Monthly extreme high temperature	Jan 18.68 · Feb 21.57 · Mar 28.32 · Apr 29.87 · May 36.09 · Jun 39.25 · Jul 41.2 · Aug 39.06 · Sep 36.66 · Oct 32.9 · Nov 24.85 · Dec 20.34 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official · coordinate grid
Monthly extreme low temperature	Jan -23.64 · Feb -21.61 · Mar -16.26 · Apr -5.63 · May 2.16 · Jun 4.96 · Jul 8.75 · Aug 9.64 · Sep 2.2 · Oct -5.06 · Nov -10.11 · Dec -16.71 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official · coordinate grid
Average temperature by month	Jan -0.77 · Feb 1.21 · Mar 5.74 · Apr 10.66 · May 16.23 · Jun 20.46 · Jul 23.13 · Aug 23.38 · Sep 18.19 · Oct 12.03 · Nov 6.61 · Dec 0.86 °C	31 Dec 2001	NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center⁸Official · coordinate grid

Population and city profile

How many people live in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The published population was 77,049 people in 2024. Source: National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria¹⁰

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

By nationality

National passport99.1%

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

Metric	Value	Period	Source
City area	89 km²	31 Dec 2024	Bulgaria city identity collection⁷Official
Foreign residents	706 people	31 Dec 2022	Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Veliko Tarnovo⁶Official
City area	89 km²	31 Dec 2024	migrationfit.com⁷Official
Population density	807 people/km²	31 Dec 2024	migrationfit.com⁷Official
Population	77,049 people	31 Dec 2024	National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria¹⁰Official

International community in Veliko Tarnovo

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Language spoken at home

Population enumerated in the Census of Population and Housing as of 7 September 2021; all persons in the NSI municipality table · 2021-09-07

Published group	People	Share
Total	76,718	100.0%
Bulgarian	68,835	89.7%
Unknown1	4,091	5.3%
Turkish	2,357	3.1%
Don't want to answer	591	0.8%
Other	537	0.7%
Roma	172	0.2%
Cannot determine	135	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Ancestry or ethnicity

Population enumerated in the Census of Population and Housing as of 7 September 2021; all persons in the NSI municipality table · 2021-09-07

Published group	People	Share
Total	76,718	100.0%
Bulgarian	68,835	89.7%
Unknown1	4,091	5.3%
Turkish	2,357	3.1%
Don't want to answer	591	0.8%
Other	537	0.7%
Roma	172	0.2%
Cannot determine	135	0.2%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source⁹

Alternatives for people set on Veliko Tarnovo

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 Veliko Tarnovo alternative in the same country

Better on 2 of 3 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

Rent: €1.17/m² Pernik vs €1.92/m² Veliko Tarnovo−39%
Unemployment: 9.0% Pernik vs 6.6% Veliko Tarnovo+36%
Recorded crime, per 100k: 1,140 Pernik vs 1,222 Veliko Tarnovo−7%

Full comparison More about Pernik

Alternative cities in Bulgaria

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

All Bulgaria cities

Shumen77,095 residents Haskovo78,235 residents Pernik80,576 residents Blagoevgrad70,708 residents Pazardzhik87,766 residents Kardzhali67,238 residents

How does Veliko Tarnovo compare?

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

Open the full comparison

Veliko Tarnovo in rankings

#3 of 30 in Cities with lowest unemployment in Bulgaria #4 of 13 in Cities with cleanest air in Bulgaria #10 of 17 in Cheapest cities to rent in Bulgaria #13 of 30 in Largest cities in Bulgaria

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Veliko Tarnovo 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; Veliko Tarnovo'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 Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The published population was 77,049 people in 2024. Source: National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria.

How much does it cost to rent in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

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 Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The annual PM2.5 mean is 14 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: European Environment Agency.

How safe is Veliko Tŭrnovo?

What is the unemployment rate in Veliko Tŭrnovo?

The unemployment rate is 6.6 % (September 2021). Source: NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality.

How many foreign residents live in Veliko Tarnovo?

706 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Veliko Tarnovo.

Is Veliko Tarnovo a good place to live?

Veliko Tarnovo 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.

How many people speak Bulgarian at home in Veliko Tarnovo?

The official language spoken at home distribution records 68,835 people (89.7%) in the source-defined population for 2021-09-07. This is a language spoken at home measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

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). Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 2d1896c41e0a5c8abf5b25b24bfb9f08]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/veliko-turnovo/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

BibTeX citation

@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria-population-rent-salary-jobs_99ede3b9d2ca,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {2d1896c41e0a5c8abf5b25b24bfb9f08},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/veliko-turnovo/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}

Markdown citation

[Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria: population, rent, salary, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/bg/veliko-turnovo/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 2d1896c41e0a5c8abf5b25b24bfb9f08; 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

A1 Bulgaria fixed internet a1.bg · checked 2026-09-15
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
EEA air quality statistics — BG NO2 annual mean 2024 (station AMS Gorna Oryahovitsa) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
EEA air quality statistics — BG PM10 annual mean 2024 (station RIEW-Veliko Tarnovo) EEA air quality statistics · air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
European Environment Agency air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-05
Eurostat — City statistics, urb_cpopcb (indicator DE2012V), Veliko Tarnovo Eurostat · ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-31
migrationfit.com migrationfit.com · checked 2026-06-14
NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-05
National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria (NSI) Census 2021 mother tongue municipality table nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-01
National Statistical Institute of the Republic of Bulgaria site-test.nsi.bg · checked 2026-08-05

Show 7 more sources

NSI City Statistics — Average annual rent for housing (per m2), Euro/m2 NSI City Statistics · nsi.bg · checked 2026-09-18
NSI Infostat 2016 — activity, employment and unemployment rates by municipality NSI Infostat 2016 · nsi.bg · checked 2026-07-27
OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
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
Veliko Tarnovo municipal monthly transport card savet.veliko-tarnovo.bg · checked 2026-09-15
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.