Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Aqaba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $919 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Bansko, Bulgaria
Aqaba, Jordan
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$968
/mo nomad
Aqaba
🇯🇴 Jordan
$919
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Aqaba

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 Aqaba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $968 per month in Bansko vs $919 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • Bansko $968
  • Aqaba $919

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Bansko vs $1,504 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • Bansko $1,479
  • Aqaba $1,504

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Bansko vs $2,088 in Aqaba, rent included.

  • Bansko $1,989
  • Aqaba $2,088

Bansko costs about 5% more than Aqaba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Bansko and Aqaba are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Aqaba 32% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.83 BGN 15.37
$2.90 JOD 2.05
204.48%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$45.43 BGN 79.1
$70.5 JOD 49.93
-35.60%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.92 BGN 15.52
$4.21 JOD 2.98
111.88%
Cappuccino
$2.33 BGN 4.06
$4.43 JOD 3.13
-47.40%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.49 BGN 2.60
$0.65 JOD 0.46
129.23%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 BGN 1.44
$0.54 JOD 0.38
53.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.75 BGN 3.05
$8.54 JOD 6.04
-79.51%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 BGN 3.49
$11.02 JOD 7.80
-81.76%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 BGN 3.00
$1.44 JOD 1.02
19.44%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 BGN 1.49
$0.51 JOD 0.36
68.63%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.46 BGN 2.55
$1.55 JOD 1.10
-5.81%
Eggs
$2.33 BGN 4.06
$1.70 JOD 1.21
37.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.54 BGN 16.60
$5.57 JOD 3.94
71.27%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.30 BGN 10.96
$4.34 JOD 3.08
45.16%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.64 BGN 15.04
$9.73 JOD 6.89
-11.20%
Apples (1kg)
$1.32 BGN 2.29
$1.45 JOD 1.03
-8.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.65 BGN 2.86
$1.39 JOD 0.98
18.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.74 BGN 3.02
$1.04 JOD 0.74
67.31%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.94 BGN 3.38
$0.73 JOD 0.52
165.75%
Potato (1kg)
$0.95 BGN 1.66
$0.74 JOD 0.52
28.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 BGN 1.26
$0.73 JOD 0.52
-1.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 BGN 0.96
$0.59 JOD 0.42
-6.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 BGN 1.03
$0.58 JOD 0.41
1.72%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.33 BGN 5.79
$3.90 JOD 2.76
-14.62%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.08 BGN 8.84
$17.22 JOD 12.19
-70.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.12 BGN 1.95
$2.75 JOD 1.95
-59.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 BGN 3.01
$2.50 JOD 1.77
-30.80%
🚌 Getting Around
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.89 BGN 1.55
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.08 BGN 47.11
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.64 BGN 2.85
$0.51 JOD 0.36
221.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.91 BGN 1.59
$1.38 JOD 0.98
-34.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$10.00 BGN 17.39
$6.93 JOD 4.90
44.30%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.50 BGN 2.61
$1.46 JOD 1.04
2.74%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$28.6K BGN 49.7K
$30.6K JOD 21.7K
-6.65%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.2K BGN 36.9K
$31.3K JOD 22.2K
-32.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$92.5 BGN 161
$136 JOD 96.6
-32.19%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.59 BGN 25.39
$15.27 JOD 10.81
-4.45%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$12.13 BGN 21.11
$32.17 JOD 22.77
-62.29%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.84 BGN 55.4
$63.2 JOD 44.73
-49.62%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.46 BGN 14.72
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.51 BGN 9.59
$11.25 JOD 7.96
-51.02%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$227 BGN 395
$544 JOD 385
-58.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,311 BGN 4,021
$2,805 JOD 1,985
-17.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$30.56 BGN 53.2
$27.97 JOD 19.80
9.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.95 BGN 32.97
$42.90 JOD 30.36
-55.83%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$45.80 BGN 79.7
$42.39 JOD 30.00
8.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$48.28 BGN 84.0
$71.2 JOD 50.4
-32.23%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$510 BGN 887
$281 JOD 199
81.35%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$364 BGN 634
$211 JOD 149
72.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$624 BGN 1,085
$683 JOD 483
-8.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$566 BGN 985
$453 JOD 321
25.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,166 BGN 2,028
$1,108 JOD 785
5.17%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$969 BGN 1,686
$561 JOD 397
72.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bansko
Aqaba
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,680 BGN 2,923
$570 JOD 404
194.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.99
6.94
-56.92%

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

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Last update for Aqaba: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bansko
$364
Aqaba
$211 42.1% $153
Groceries & Markets
Bansko
$193
Aqaba
$190 1.7% $3.2
Eating Out
Bansko
$147
Aqaba
$158 7.4% $11
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bansko
$119
Aqaba
$184 54.2% $65
Clothing & Footwear
Bansko
$65
Aqaba
$83 28.5% $18
Sport & Entertainment
Bansko
$43
Aqaba
$86 99.9% $43
Getting Around
Bansko
$37
Aqaba
$7.4 * 79.9% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $510 in Bansko versus $281 in Aqaba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Bansko are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko versus $71 in Aqaba. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $190 in Aqaba – so Aqaba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Bansko
🇯🇴 Aqaba
🕒 Local time
23:16 11:16 PM
00:16 12:16 AM
1 h ahead of Bansko
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,000
140,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

JOD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bansko Aqaba 1,720 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Bansko
  • Aqaba

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 Aqaba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aqaba cheaper than Bansko?
Yes – Bansko is pricier by about 5%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in transport.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,452 per month in Bansko and $1,379 in Aqaba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Aqaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $281 there versus $510 in Bansko.
Is eating out cheaper in Bansko or in Aqaba?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko and $71 in Aqaba. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Bansko and $544 in Aqaba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city suits remote workers better?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aqaba costs $919 versus $968 in Bansko. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
Which city is safer, Bansko or Aqaba?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Aqaba. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

Bansko vs other spots: cost of living compared

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