Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Anshan

For one person, living is cheaper in Anshan: $630 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Anshan
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Anshan Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Anshan

🇨🇳 China

$630

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Anshan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bansko and in Anshan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Bansko versus $630 in Anshan.

Bansko $956
Anshan $630

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Bansko versus $1,018 in Anshan.

Bansko $1,467
Anshan $1,018

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Bansko versus $1,406 in Anshan.

Bansko $1,979
Anshan $1,406

Living in Bansko is roughly 52% more expensive than in Anshan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bansko 29% lower, Anshan 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$3.08 ¥20.59

181.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$18.82 ¥126

138.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$4.36 ¥29.16

101.38%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.49 ¥16.65

-6.43%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.39 ¥2.58

302.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.23 ¥1.54

256.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$0.78 ¥5.25

115.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.66 ¥11.09

19.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.77 ¥11.83

-2.26%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.29 ¥8.64

-37.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.35 ¥2.37

311.43%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.06 ¥7.12

122.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$8.74 ¥58.4

7.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$1.77 ¥11.82

262.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$9.11 ¥60.9

-6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$1.06 ¥7.11

23.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.17 ¥7.82

38.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.18 ¥7.88

46.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.17 ¥7.81

65.81%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.31 ¥2.09

203.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.89 ¥5.95

-14.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.29 ¥1.94

89.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.43 ¥2.89

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$3.66 ¥24.45

-11.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$7.66 ¥51.2

-32.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$0.77 ¥5.14

41.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.10 ¥7.38

52.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.29 ¥1.94

189.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$17.75 ¥119

52.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$1.07 ¥7.13

25.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.16 ¥1.06

306.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$2.92 ¥19.53

244.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.06 ¥7.07

39.62%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$19.5K ¥130.6K

49.17%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$15.2K ¥101.9K

37.28%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$29.30 ¥196

215.46%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$7.25 ¥48.47

100.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$14.66 ¥98.0

-15.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$42.00 ¥281

-24.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$15.17 ¥101

-43.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$5.91 ¥39.53

-4.91%

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

$230 BGN 401

$221 ¥1,478

4.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$21.7K ¥144.9K

-89.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$37.91 ¥253

-20.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$33.24 ¥222

-40.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$60.1 ¥402

-23.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$70.2 ¥470

-32.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$298 ¥1,996

73.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$184 ¥1,229

94.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$626 ¥4,187

-1.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$380 ¥2,540

49.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$3,597 ¥24.0K

-66.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$1,957 ¥13.1K

-50.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$960 ¥6,418

77.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

49.50%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Anshan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Anshan

$184 29.2% 48.5% $173

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Anshan

$152 24.1% 20.8% $40

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Anshan

$77 12.3% 46.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Anshan

$51 8.1% 57.1% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Anshan

$91 14.4% 40.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Anshan

$54 8.6% 25.3% $11

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Anshan

$21 3.3% 40.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Bansko and $298 in Anshan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays 77% 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: $45.00 in Bansko vs $19.00 in Anshan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $152 per month, with Anshan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇨🇳 Anshan

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

23:53 11:53 PM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,543,696

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bansko Anshan 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Anshan

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

Bansko vs Anshan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Anshan is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 52% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 77% higher in Bansko, 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: $518 in Bansko versus $298 in Anshan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Anshan – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $45.00 in Bansko. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $956 per month in Bansko versus $630 in Anshan – a 52% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $630 in Anshan versus $956 in Bansko, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Anshan but tight or insufficient in Bansko. The gap between the two cities makes Anshan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Anshan is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bansko, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bansko and Anshan 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 Anshan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 52% less than in Bansko. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.