Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Atsugi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,244 in Atsugi, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Atsugi
Learn more

Atsugi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Atsugi

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,244

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Atsugi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $956 in Bansko versus $1,244 in Atsugi.

Bansko $956
Atsugi $1,244

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Bansko versus $2,157 in Atsugi.

Bansko $1,467
Atsugi $2,157

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Bansko versus $3,070 in Atsugi.

Bansko $1,979
Atsugi $3,070

Living in Bansko costs roughly 23% less than in Atsugi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bansko 29% lower, Atsugi 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$7.93 ¥1,252

9.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$25.65 ¥4,052

75.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$4.95 ¥782

77.37%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.90 ¥301

22.63%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.93 ¥147

68.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.68 ¥107

20.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.72 ¥429

-38.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.07 ¥484

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.51 ¥238

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.48 ¥233

-45.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$4.05 ¥640

-64.44%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$2.08 ¥328

13.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$15.93 ¥2,517

-41.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.48 ¥708

43.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$12.30 ¥1,943

-31.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$5.30 ¥838

-75.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.98 ¥312

-18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$3.80 ¥601

-54.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$2.70 ¥426

-28.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.64 ¥417

-64.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.92 ¥304

-60.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$1.16 ¥184

-52.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.90 ¥142

-34.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$3.52 ¥557

-7.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$9.35 ¥1,477

-44.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.61 ¥255

-32.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.15 ¥340

-21.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$2.61 ¥412

-67.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$52.4 ¥8,275

-48.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$3.11 ¥491

-56.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$2.81 ¥445

-76.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$9.62 ¥1,520

4.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.05 ¥166

40.95%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$12.7K ¥2.0M

129.56%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$15.3K ¥2.4M

36.97%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$230 ¥36.3K

-59.76%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$14.11 ¥2,230

2.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$30.54 ¥4,825

-59.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$51.6 ¥8,147

-38.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$7.46 ¥1,179

14.34%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$11.56 ¥1,827

-51.38%

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

$230 BGN 401

$321 ¥50.7K

-28.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$6,085 ¥961.3K

-62.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$40.67 ¥6,425

-25.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$24.20 ¥3,824

-18.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$53.4 ¥8,433

-14.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$31.98 ¥5,053

49.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$523 ¥82.6K

-0.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$334 ¥52.7K

6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$1,090 ¥172.2K

-43.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$1,260 ¥199.1K

-54.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$3,945 ¥623.3K

-69.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$1,794 ¥283.4K

-46.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$3,774 ¥596.3K

-54.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

2.02

48.02%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Atsugi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Atsugi

$334 26.8% 6.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Atsugi

$287 23.1% 49.5% $95

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Atsugi

$127 10.2% 12.5% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Atsugi

$274 22.1% 130% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Atsugi

$68 5.4% 4.9% $3.1

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Atsugi

$75 6% 73.9% $32

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Atsugi

$80 6.4% 128% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $518 in Bansko and $523 in Atsugi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Atsugi pays 122% 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 $26.00 in Atsugi. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $287, with Bansko cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇯🇵 Atsugi

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

14:20 2:20 PM

6 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

223,705

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Bansko Atsugi 9,230 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Atsugi

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 Atsugi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bansko and Atsugi differ by about 30% in total monthly costs ($956 vs $1,244 including rent). Bansko is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 122% lower in Atsugi. 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: $518 in Bansko versus $523 in Atsugi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bansko – a meal for two runs $45.00 versus $26.00 in Atsugi. 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 $1,244 in Atsugi – a 30% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $956 in Bansko versus $1,244 in Atsugi, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Atsugi. 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.

Safety-wise, Bansko and Atsugi 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 Bansko gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Atsugi. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.