Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ashgabat and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $3,331 in Ashgabat, rent and utilities included – about $28,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

164

Cost of Living Index in Ashgabat
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Ashgabat Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Ashgabat

🇹🇲 Turkmenistan

$3,331

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ashgabat 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 Ashgabat and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,331 in Ashgabat versus $970 in Bansko.

Ashgabat $3,331
Bansko $970

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,094 in Ashgabat versus $1,464 in Bansko.

Ashgabat $5,094
Bansko $1,464

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,857 in Ashgabat versus $1,957 in Bansko.

Ashgabat $6,857
Bansko $1,957

Living in Ashgabat is roughly 243% more expensive than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Ashgabat is 149% above, Bansko is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.23 TMT 105

$8.66 BGN 15.15

260.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.1 TMT 285

$46.63 BGN 81.6

82.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.65 TMT 42.39

$9.01 BGN 15.77

40.40%

Cappuccino

$6.59 TMT 22.07

$2.24 BGN 3.92

194.20%

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

$1.53 TMT 5.14

$1.50 BGN 2.63

2.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 TMT 2.74

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-4.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 TMT 18.98

$1.76 BGN 3.07

222.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.74 TMT 46.04

$2.00 BGN 3.51

587.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.48 TMT 15.00

$1.79 BGN 3.14

150.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 TMT 6.88

$0.81 BGN 1.42

153.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.82 TMT 19.48

$1.52 BGN 2.66

282.89%

Eggs

$5.93 TMT 19.87

$2.30 BGN 4.02

157.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$37.90 TMT 127

$9.60 BGN 16.81

294.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.09 TMT 67.3

$6.32 BGN 11.06

217.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.50 TMT 78.7

$8.64 BGN 15.12

171.99%

Apples (1kg)

$4.98 TMT 16.70

$1.28 BGN 2.24

289.06%

Banana (1kg)

$8.53 TMT 28.58

$1.68 BGN 2.95

407.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$7.32 TMT 24.52

$1.70 BGN 2.98

330.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 TMT 12.09

$1.89 BGN 3.30

91.01%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 TMT 7.80

$0.93 BGN 1.63

150.54%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 TMT 4.90

$0.76 BGN 1.32

92.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.69 TMT 9.00

$0.54 BGN 0.95

398.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 TMT 3.74

$0.58 BGN 1.02

93.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$25.56 TMT 85.6

$3.44 BGN 6.02

643.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$42.09 TMT 141

$5.14 BGN 9.00

718.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.26 TMT 17.62

$1.11 BGN 1.94

373.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 TMT 9.67

$1.70 BGN 2.97

70.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.15 TMT 0.49

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-82.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.89 TMT 33.13

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-63.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.90 TMT 9.73

$1.29 BGN 2.26

124.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 TMT 2.96

$0.65 BGN 1.14

35.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 TMT 28.17

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-17.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.44 TMT 1.48

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-70.67%

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

$44.6K TMT 149.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

54.66%

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

$57.2K TMT 191.5K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

166.44%

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

$580 TMT 1,944

$91.4 BGN 160

534.59%

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

$56.8 TMT 190

$14.68 BGN 25.68

287.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$103 TMT 347

$12.07 BGN 21.12

757.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$191 TMT 640

$32.28 BGN 56.5

492.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.50 TMT 152

$8.60 BGN 15.05

429.07%

Cinema Ticket

$8.53 TMT 28.58

$5.63 BGN 9.86

51.51%

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

$23.05 TMT 77.2

$228 BGN 400

-89.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.8K TMT 83.0K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

972.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 TMT 184

$30.48 BGN 53.3

79.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$115 TMT 385

$19.01 BGN 33.26

504.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$365 TMT 1,224

$45.53 BGN 79.7

702.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$189 TMT 632

$48.67 BGN 85.2

287.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,402 TMT 4,695

$521 BGN 913

168.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,000 TMT 3,351

$367 BGN 643

172.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,288 TMT 7,663

$634 BGN 1,110

260.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 TMT 6,433

$558 BGN 976

244.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,527 TMT 11.8K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

193.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,813 TMT 9,422

$971 BGN 1,699

189.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$736 TMT 2,467

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-55.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.5

2.99

217.73%

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

Last update for Ashgabat: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ashgabat

$1K 29.5%

Bansko

$367 38% 63.3% $633

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ashgabat

$741 21.8%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 84% $622

Groceries & Markets

Ashgabat

$671 19.8%

Bansko

$193 20% 71.2% $478

Eating Out

Ashgabat

$432 12.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 66.3% $287

Clothing & Footwear

Ashgabat

$326 9.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 80.1% $261

Sport & Entertainment

Ashgabat

$208 6.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 79.1% $165

Getting Around

Ashgabat

$18 0.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 95.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,402 in Ashgabat and $521 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays 127% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $85.0 in Ashgabat vs $47.00 in Bansko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $671 vs $193 per month, with Bansko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇲 Ashgabat

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

11:20 11:20 AM

09:20 9:20 AM

2 h behind Ashgabat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

909,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Turkmenistani Manat TMT m

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 TMT = 0.299 USD

1 TMT = 0.266 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TMT – Turkmenistani Manat Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇲 Turkmenistani Manat (m)

Turkmenistani Manat exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.35 TMT (1 TMT = 0.299 USD). 1 EUR = 3.76 TMT (1 TMT = 0.266 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to TMT in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ashgabat Bansko 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Ashgabat
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

Ashgabat vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ashgabat and Bansko differ by about 243% in total monthly costs ($3,331 vs $970 including rent). Bansko is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 127% lower in Bansko. 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: $1,402 in Ashgabat versus $521 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $23.05 in Ashgabat versus $228 in Bansko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 247% higher in Ashgabat. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $970 in Bansko versus $3,331 in Ashgabat, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Ashgabat. The gap between the two cities makes Bansko the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ashgabat and Bansko are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bansko gentler on the wallet – expenses run 243% less than in Ashgabat. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.