Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Azores and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,594 in the Azores, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in the Azores
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Azores Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Azores

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,594

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,594 per month in the Azores vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Azores $1,594
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,371 per month in the Azores vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Azores $2,371
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $3,148 per month in the Azores vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Azores $3,148
Bansko $1,957

Azores costs about 64% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Azores sits 19% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.37 €10.15

$8.66 BGN 15.15

31.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.10 €42.03

$46.63 BGN 81.6

1.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.20 €8.21

$9.01 BGN 15.77

2.11%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.93

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-3.57%

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

$1.92 €1.71

$1.50 BGN 2.63

28.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.86 BGN 1.51

59.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.76 BGN 3.07

28.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 €3.09

$2.00 BGN 3.51

73.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-40.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 €1.42

$0.81 BGN 1.42

96.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.52 BGN 2.66

5.92%

Eggs

$3.12 €2.79

$2.30 BGN 4.02

35.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.26 €10.05

$9.60 BGN 16.81

17.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.89 €7.04

$6.32 BGN 11.06

24.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.31 €12.77

$8.64 BGN 15.12

65.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.28 BGN 2.24

83.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 €1.26

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.70 BGN 2.98

8.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.21

$1.89 BGN 3.30

31.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.93 BGN 1.63

64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$0.76 BGN 1.32

140.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.54 BGN 0.95

201.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.58 BGN 1.02

36.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 €5.55

$3.44 BGN 6.02

80.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.10 €4.55

$5.14 BGN 9.00

-0.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.11

$1.11 BGN 1.94

11.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.70 BGN 2.97

39.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.88 BGN 1.55

159.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.69 €37.20

$26.76 BGN 46.83

55.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.09 €3.65

$1.29 BGN 2.26

217.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 €0.73

$0.65 BGN 1.14

26.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.02 €15.19

$10.18 BGN 17.81

67.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.50 BGN 2.63

32.67%

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

$34.5K €30.8K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

19.90%

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

$40.1K €35.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

86.72%

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

$135 €120

$91.4 BGN 160

47.16%

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

$21.16 €18.89

$14.68 BGN 25.68

44.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.52 €37.94

$12.07 BGN 21.12

252.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.82 €40.00

$32.28 BGN 56.5

38.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.33 €15.46

$8.60 BGN 15.05

101.51%

Cinema Ticket

$8.36 €7.46

$5.63 BGN 9.86

48.49%

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

$462 €412

$228 BGN 400

102.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,431 €7,524

$2,311 BGN 4,045

264.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.2 €65.3

$30.48 BGN 53.3

139.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.09 €33.99

$19.01 BGN 33.26

100.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.0 €82.1

$45.53 BGN 79.7

102.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.7 €83.6

$48.67 BGN 85.2

92.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$918 €819

$521 BGN 913

75.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €664

$367 BGN 643

102.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 €1,337

$634 BGN 1,110

136.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,020

$558 BGN 976

104.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,018 €2,693

$1,204 BGN 2,106

150.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,307 €2,059

$971 BGN 1,699

137.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

2.99

67.56%

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

Last update for the Azores: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Azores

$744 46%

Bansko

$367 38% 50.6% $377

Groceries & Markets

Azores

$247 15.3%

Bansko

$193 20% 21.8% $54

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Azores

$198 12.2%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 40.4% $80

Eating Out

Azores

$176 10.9%

Bansko

$145 15% 17.3% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Azores

$134 8.3%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 51.6% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Azores

$62 3.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 29.2% $18

Getting Around

Azores

$59 3.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 40.9% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $918 in the Azores versus $521 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $247 in the Azores vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Azores

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

11:24 11:24 AM

3 h ahead of the Azores

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

236,657

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Azores Bansko 4,170 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Azores
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

Azores vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Azores is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,391 per month in the Azores and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% more in the Azores, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in the Azores and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in the Azores at $1,594. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in the Azores it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bansko – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Azores makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.