Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athlone and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $2,542 in Athlone, rent and utilities included – about $19,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Athlone
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Athlone Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Athlone

🇮🇪 Ireland

$2,542

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,542 in Athlone versus $956 in Bansko.

Athlone $2,542
Bansko $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,749 in Athlone versus $1,467 in Bansko.

Athlone $3,749
Bansko $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,956 in Athlone versus $1,979 in Bansko.

Athlone $4,956
Bansko $1,979

Living in Athlone is roughly 166% more expensive than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athlone is 88% above, Bansko is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.37 €19.90

$8.66 BGN 15.06

158.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.0 €80.9

$44.94 BGN 78.2

102.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.63 €11.23

$8.78 BGN 15.28

43.85%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.84

$2.33 BGN 4.05

85.41%

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

$2.92 €2.60

$1.57 BGN 2.74

85.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.82 BGN 1.43

124.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.41 €6.59

$1.68 BGN 2.92

341.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.55 €5.82

$1.98 BGN 3.45

230.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-15.61%

White Bread (500g)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.80 BGN 1.40

57.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.44 BGN 2.51

15.28%

Eggs

$3.91 €3.48

$2.36 BGN 4.10

65.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.73 €9.55

$9.39 BGN 16.34

14.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.27 €10.02

$6.41 BGN 11.15

75.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.85 €10.53

$8.48 BGN 14.76

39.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$1.31 BGN 2.28

94.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 €1.39

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 €2.14

$1.73 BGN 3.01

39.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.94 BGN 3.38

46.91%

Potato (1kg)

$2.29 €2.03

$0.94 BGN 1.63

143.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.76 BGN 1.32

138.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 €1.28

$0.55 BGN 0.95

161.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.69

$0.59 BGN 1.02

222.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.88 €15.90

$3.25 BGN 5.66

450.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.10 €9.87

$5.20 BGN 9.05

113.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.09 BGN 1.89

215.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 €3.18

$1.68 BGN 2.92

113.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 €1.83

$0.84 BGN 1.45

145.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.08 €4.52

$1.34 BGN 2.34

279.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.65 BGN 1.14

129.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.77 €24.70

$10.06 BGN 17.51

176.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.80

$1.48 BGN 2.57

37.16%

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

$39.6K €35.2K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

35.85%

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

$36.8K €32.7K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

75.92%

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

$241 €214

$92.4 BGN 161

160.56%

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

$21.86 €19.45

$14.52 BGN 25.26

50.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.22 €43.78

$12.32 BGN 21.43

299.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.5 €52.1

$31.70 BGN 55.2

84.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.69 €30.85

$8.53 BGN 14.84

306.68%

Cinema Ticket

$10.95 €9.74

$5.62 BGN 9.78

94.84%

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

$1,001 €891

$230 BGN 401

334.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,365 €4,772

$2,268 BGN 3,947

136.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 €82.6

$30.10 BGN 52.4

208.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.88 €36.36

$19.62 BGN 34.13

108.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.6 €74.4

$45.86 BGN 79.8

82.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.7 €69.1

$47.69 BGN 83.0

62.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,306

$518 BGN 902

183.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 €1,203

$357 BGN 621

279.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,529 €2,249

$614 BGN 1,069

311.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,254 €2,005

$569 BGN 990

296.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,294 €2,930

$1,191 BGN 2,073

176.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,340 €2,971

$959 BGN 1,669

248.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,153 €2,804

$1,704 BGN 2,965

85.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

2.99

24.75%

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

Last update for Athlone: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athlone

$1.4K 53.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 73.6% $996

Eating Out

Athlone

$338 13.3%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 57% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athlone

$312 12.3%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 61.8% $193

Groceries & Markets

Athlone

$305 12%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 37.1% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Athlone

$133 5.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 51.4% $68

Sport & Entertainment

Athlone

$80 3.2%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 46.6% $37

Getting Around

Athlone

$21 * 0.8%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 68.8% $14

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,468 in Athlone and $518 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athlone pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $91.0 in Athlone vs $45.00 in Bansko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $305 vs $192 per month, with Bansko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇪 Athlone

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

12:28 12:28 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

2 h ahead of Athlone

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Athlone Bansko 2,650 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Athlone
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

Athlone vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bansko wins on cost – living expenses run 166% lower than in Athlone. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bansko the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Athlone, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,468 in Athlone versus $518 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 59% higher in Athlone. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,542 per month in Athlone versus $956 in Bansko – a 166% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $956 in Bansko versus $2,542 in Athlone, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Athlone. The gap between the two cities makes Bansko the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bansko delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $956 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bansko hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athlone 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 166% less than in Athlone. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.