Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az-Zarqa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-Zarqa: $716 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Az-Zarqa
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Az-Zarqa Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Az-Zarqa

🇯🇴 Jordan

$716

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $716 in Az-Zarqa versus $968 in Bansko.

Az-Zarqa $716
Bansko $968

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,083 in Az-Zarqa versus $1,479 in Bansko.

Az-Zarqa $1,083
Bansko $1,479

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,450 in Az-Zarqa versus $1,989 in Bansko.

Az-Zarqa $1,450
Bansko $1,989

Living in Az-Zarqa costs roughly 26% less than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Az-Zarqa 47% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.30 JOD 3.04

$8.83 BGN 15.46

-51.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.92 JOD 17.64

$45.43 BGN 79.5

-45.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 JOD 3.95

$8.92 BGN 15.61

-37.33%

Cappuccino

$0.80 JOD 0.57

$2.33 BGN 4.08

-65.67%

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

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$1.49 BGN 2.61

-70.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 JOD 0.25

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-57.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.16 JOD 2.95

$1.75 BGN 3.06

137.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.85 JOD 7.68

$2.01 BGN 3.51

439.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$1.72 BGN 3.01

-16.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 JOD 0.31

$0.86 BGN 1.50

-48.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 JOD 1.09

$1.46 BGN 2.56

5.48%

Eggs

$1.78 JOD 1.26

$2.33 BGN 4.08

-23.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.05 JOD 3.58

$9.54 BGN 16.70

-47.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 JOD 3.77

$6.30 BGN 11.03

-15.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.41 JOD 5.95

$8.64 BGN 15.13

-2.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.49 JOD 1.06

$1.32 BGN 2.30

12.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 JOD 0.90

$1.65 BGN 2.88

-22.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 JOD 0.84

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-31.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$1.94 BGN 3.40

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 JOD 0.60

$0.95 BGN 1.67

-10.53%

Onion (1kg)

$0.87 JOD 0.61

$0.72 BGN 1.27

20.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 JOD 0.42

$0.55 BGN 0.97

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 JOD 0.36

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-15.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.57 JOD 2.53

$3.33 BGN 5.83

7.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.02 JOD 4.97

$5.08 BGN 8.89

38.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.31 JOD 3.05

$1.12 BGN 1.97

284.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.28 JOD 3.03

$1.73 BGN 3.03

147.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-32.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.43 JOD 15.17

$27.08 BGN 47.39

-20.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 JOD 0.45

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-61.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 JOD 0.97

$0.91 BGN 1.60

50.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.03 JOD 3.56

$10.00 BGN 17.49

-49.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 JOD 1.03

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-2.67%

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

$16.9K JOD 11.9K

$28.6K BGN 50.0K

-40.99%

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

$22.1K JOD 15.7K

$21.2K BGN 37.2K

4.21%

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

$132 JOD 93.6

$92.5 BGN 162

42.94%

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

$12.99 JOD 9.20

$14.59 BGN 25.54

-10.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$28.75 JOD 20.35

$12.13 BGN 21.23

137.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.65 JOD 20.28

$31.84 BGN 55.7

-10.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.83 JOD 9.79

$8.46 BGN 14.81

63.48%

Cinema Ticket

$9.75 JOD 6.90

$5.51 BGN 9.65

76.95%

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

$213 JOD 151

$227 BGN 398

-6.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,297 JOD 3,041

$2,311 BGN 4,044

85.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$21.45 JOD 15.18

$30.56 BGN 53.5

-29.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.97 JOD 9.89

$18.95 BGN 33.16

-26.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$44.20 JOD 31.28

$45.80 BGN 80.2

-3.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.72 JOD 28.82

$48.28 BGN 84.5

-15.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 JOD 116

$510 BGN 892

-67.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$123 JOD 86.9

$364 BGN 637

-66.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$305 JOD 216

$624 BGN 1,092

-51.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$243 JOD 172

$566 BGN 991

-57.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$564 JOD 399

$1,166 BGN 2,040

-51.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$348 JOD 246

$969 BGN 1,696

-64.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$499 JOD 353

$1,680 BGN 2,940

-70.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.94

2.99

132.11%

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

Last update for Az-Zarqa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Az-Zarqa

$179 25%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 7.9% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az-Zarqa

$174 24.3%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 31.5% $55

Accommodation & Living

Az-Zarqa

$123 17.2%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 197% $242

Eating Out

Az-Zarqa

$106 14.9%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 38.5% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Az-Zarqa

$54 7.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 19.3% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Az-Zarqa

$48 6.7%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 11% $5.3

Getting Around

Az-Zarqa

$31 4.4%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 17.7% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $164 in Az-Zarqa and $510 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays about 3.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Az-Zarqa vs $45 in Bansko for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $179 vs $193 per month, with Az-Zarqa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Az-Zarqa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

23:01 11:01 PM

1 h behind Az-Zarqa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

395,227

8,000

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.795 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Az-Zarqa Bansko 1,560 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Az-Zarqa
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

Az-Zarqa vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $716 in Az-Zarqa and $968 in Bansko, so Az-Zarqa is about 26% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% lower in Az-Zarqa. 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: $164 in Az-Zarqa versus $510 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $716 per month in Az-Zarqa versus $968 in Bansko – Az-Zarqa is about 26% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Az-Zarqa runs roughly 21% less than in Bansko. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Az-Zarqa gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

Expats usually find Az-Zarqa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 26% less than in Bansko. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.