Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Augusta, ME and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $964 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,388 in Augusta, ME versus $964 in Bansko.

Augusta, ME $2,388
Bansko $964

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,317 in Augusta, ME versus $1,471 in Bansko.

Augusta, ME $3,317
Bansko $1,471

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,246 in Augusta, ME versus $1,978 in Bansko.

Augusta, ME $4,246
Bansko $1,978

Living in Augusta, ME is roughly 148% more expensive than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Augusta, ME is 75% above, Bansko is 29% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.90 $19.90

$8.34 BGN 14.60

138.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.1 $53.1

$45.11 BGN 78.9

17.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.39 $10.39

$9.14 BGN 15.99

13.68%

Cappuccino

$5.40 $5.40

$2.31 BGN 4.04

133.77%

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

$2.36 $2.36

$1.57 BGN 2.75

50.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 $1.59

$0.87 BGN 1.52

82.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.70 BGN 2.97

195.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.72 $7.72

$2.02 BGN 3.54

282.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 $1.14

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.56 $4.56

$0.80 BGN 1.39

470.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.47 BGN 2.57

-1.36%

Eggs

$3.96 $3.96

$2.24 BGN 3.93

76.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 $15.09

$9.50 BGN 16.63

58.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.12 $14.12

$6.38 BGN 11.16

121.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.52 $19.52

$8.48 BGN 14.85

130.19%

Apples (1kg)

$7.48 $7.48

$1.25 BGN 2.19

498.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.72 BGN 3.01

-23.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.75 BGN 3.06

76.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.59 $4.59

$1.97 BGN 3.44

132.99%

Potato (1kg)

$2.33 $2.33

$0.99 BGN 1.74

135.35%

Onion (1kg)

$2.86 $2.86

$0.72 BGN 1.26

297.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.08 $2.08

$0.59 BGN 1.03

252.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 $1.81

$0.55 BGN 0.96

229.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.98 $11.98

$3.35 BGN 5.87

257.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.99 $12.99

$5.02 BGN 8.79

158.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.08 BGN 1.89

44.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 $1.55

$1.69 BGN 2.95

-8.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.75 BGN 46.82

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.55 $2.55

$1.30 BGN 2.27

96.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.27 $1.27

$0.61 BGN 1.07

108.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.55 $28.55

$9.97 BGN 17.45

186.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 $0.90

$1.50 BGN 2.62

-40.00%

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

$29.6K $29.6K

$28.9K BGN 50.7K

2.16%

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

$24.3K $24.3K

$21.2K BGN 37.1K

14.62%

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

$243 $243

$93.8 BGN 164

159.06%

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

$45.59 $45.59

$14.81 BGN 25.92

207.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 $61.0

$12.13 BGN 21.22

402.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.60 $22.60

$32.80 BGN 57.4

-31.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.57 BGN 14.99

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$5.51 BGN 9.64

156.44%

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

$2,656 $2,656

$228 BGN 400

1062.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.6K $36.6K

$2,259 BGN 3,954

1519.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.5 $73.5

$30.12 BGN 52.7

144.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 $50.9

$19.45 BGN 34.04

161.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 $113

$46.08 BGN 80.6

145.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 $154

$48.97 BGN 85.7

215.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,200 $1,200

$522 BGN 913

129.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 $1,078

$364 BGN 638

195.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,602 $1,602

$629 BGN 1,100

154.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,473 $1,473

$568 BGN 994

159.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,386 $2,386

$1,159 BGN 2,029

105.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,378 $2,378

$955 BGN 1,671

149.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,948 $1,948

$1,669 BGN 2,921

16.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.3

2.99

110.70%

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

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2%

Bansko

$364 37.8% 66.2% $714

Groceries & Markets

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3%

Bansko

$192 19.9% 53.6% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6%

Bansko

$121 12.5% 65.5% $229

Eating Out

Augusta, ME

$312 13%

Bansko

$144 15% 53.7% $167

Clothing & Footwear

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4%

Bansko

$65 6.8% 63.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 13.8% $7

Getting Around

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4%

Bansko

$34 3.6% 287% $25

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 $1,200 in Augusta, ME and $522 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays 17% 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: $53 in Augusta, ME vs $45 in Bansko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $192 per month, with Bansko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

12:36 12:36 PM

18:36 6:36 PM

6 h ahead of Augusta, ME

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

194,343

8,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.899 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.513 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.899 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.513 EUR).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Augusta, ME Bansko 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Augusta, ME
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

Augusta, ME vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Augusta, ME and Bansko differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($2,388 vs $964 including rent). Bansko is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 17% higher in Augusta, ME, 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: $1,200 in Augusta, ME versus $522 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,656 in Augusta, ME versus $228 in Bansko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bansko – a meal for two runs $45 versus $53 in Augusta, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $964 in Bansko versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Augusta, ME. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bansko wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.