Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ad Dammam and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,188 in Ad Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Ad Dammam
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Ad Dammam Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Ad Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,188

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ad Dammam and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ad Dammam and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,188 in Ad Dammam versus $968 in Bansko.

Ad Dammam $1,188
Bansko $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,803 in Ad Dammam versus $1,479 in Bansko.

Ad Dammam $1,803
Bansko $1,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,418 in Ad Dammam versus $1,989 in Bansko.

Ad Dammam $2,418
Bansko $1,989

Living in Ad Dammam is roughly 23% more expensive than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities sit below the global median: Ad Dammam 12% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.74 SAR 25.28

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-23.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.35 SAR 129

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-24.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.62 SAR 24.84

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-25.78%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 SAR 6.89

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 SAR 8.32

Cappuccino

$3.02 SAR 11.33

$2.33 BGN 4.06

29.61%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 SAR 2.87

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-48.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.16 SAR 0.59

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-80.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.47

$1.72 BGN 3.00

White Bread (500g)

$1.29 SAR 4.84

$0.86 BGN 1.49

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.88 SAR 7.07

$1.46 BGN 2.55

28.77%

Eggs

$2.12 SAR 7.96

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-9.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.47 SAR 28.04

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-21.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 SAR 28.90

$6.30 BGN 10.96

22.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.77 SAR 47.93

$8.64 BGN 15.04

47.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$1.32 BGN 2.29

73.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.13

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-1.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 SAR 6.16

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-5.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 SAR 5.83

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-20.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 SAR 4.04

$0.95 BGN 1.66

13.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 SAR 4.37

$0.72 BGN 1.26

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 SAR 4.71

$0.55 BGN 0.96

127.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 SAR 2.12

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-5.08%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.21 SAR 15.81

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 SAR 5.49

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 SAR 7.92

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.80 SAR 29.28

$3.33 BGN 5.79

134.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 SAR 3.30

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.25 SAR 144

$27.08 BGN 47.11

41.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.28 SAR 8.57

$1.64 BGN 2.85

39.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 SAR 5.08

$0.91 BGN 1.59

48.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.89 SAR 52.1

$10.00 BGN 17.39

38.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.61 SAR 2.28

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-59.33%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.1K SAR 109.2K

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

1.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$21.2K SAR 79.7K

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

0.01%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$130 SAR 489

$92.5 BGN 161

40.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$32.31 SAR 121

$14.59 BGN 25.39

121.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.2 SAR 241

$12.13 BGN 21.11

429.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 SAR 264

$31.84 BGN 55.4

121.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.59 SAR 107

$8.46 BGN 14.72

237.94%

Cinema Ticket

$13.39 SAR 50.3

$5.51 BGN 9.59

143.01%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$414 SAR 1,554

$227 BGN 395

82.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K SAR 39.4K

$2,311 BGN 4,021

354.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.50 SAR 160

$30.56 BGN 53.2

39.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.93 SAR 184

$18.95 BGN 32.97

158.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 SAR 360

$45.80 BGN 79.7

109.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.0 SAR 345

$48.28 BGN 84.0

90.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 SAR 1,993

$510 BGN 887

4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$376 SAR 1,410

$364 BGN 634

3.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 SAR 3,553

$624 BGN 1,085

51.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 SAR 2,495

$566 BGN 985

17.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,479 SAR 5,552

$1,166 BGN 2,028

26.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$779 SAR 2,925

$969 BGN 1,686

-19.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,508 SAR 5,659

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-10.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.9

2.99

97.32%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ad Dammam: November 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ad Dammam

$376 31.6%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 3% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ad Dammam

$227 19.1%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 47.4% $108

Groceries & Markets

Ad Dammam

$198 16.7%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 2.7% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Ad Dammam

$126 10.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 48.6% $61

Eating Out

Ad Dammam

$114 9.6%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 29.7% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Ad Dammam

$97 8.2%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 55.9% $54

Getting Around

Ad Dammam

$51 4.3%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 27.5% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $531 in Ad Dammam and $510 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays 11% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $34 in Ad Dammam vs $45 in Bansko. Groceries flip the comparison at $198 vs $193, with Bansko cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Ad Dammam

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:48 8:48 AM

07:48 7:48 AM

1 h behind Ad Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

8,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ad Dammam Bansko 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ad Dammam
Bansko

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ad Dammam vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bansko wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Ad Dammam. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bansko the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 10% lower in Ad Dammam. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $531 in Ad Dammam versus $510 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $1,188 per month in Ad Dammam versus $968 in Bansko – Bansko is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Bansko runs roughly 29% less than in Ad Dammam. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

For families, Bansko is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Ad Dammam, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Ad Dammam and Bansko are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.