Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Augusta, ME

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $964 a month against $2,388 in Augusta, ME, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
114

Cost of Living Index in Augusta, ME
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Augusta, ME Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Augusta, ME

🇺🇸 United States

$2,388

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Augusta, ME

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $964 in Bansko versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME.

Bansko $964
Augusta, ME $2,388

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,471 in Bansko versus $3,317 in Augusta, ME.

Bansko $1,471
Augusta, ME $3,317

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,978 in Bansko versus $4,246 in Augusta, ME.

Bansko $1,978
Augusta, ME $4,246

Living in Bansko costs roughly 60% less than in Augusta, ME, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bansko is 29% below, Augusta, ME is 75% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 BGN 14.68

$19.90 $19.90

-58.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 BGN 79.4

$53.1 $53.1

-15.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 BGN 16.08

$10.39 $10.39

-12.03%

Cappuccino

$2.31 BGN 4.06

$5.40 $5.40

-57.22%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.76

$2.36 $2.36

-33.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$1.59 $1.59

-45.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 BGN 2.99

$5.02 $5.02

-66.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BGN 3.56

$7.72 $7.72

-73.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.06

$1.14 $1.14

52.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$4.56 $4.56

-82.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 BGN 2.58

$1.45 $1.45

1.38%

Eggs

$2.24 BGN 3.95

$3.96 $3.96

-43.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 BGN 16.73

$15.09 $15.09

-37.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 BGN 11.22

$14.12 $14.12

-54.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.93

$19.52 $19.52

-56.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.20

$7.48 $7.48

-83.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 BGN 3.02

$1.31 $1.31

31.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 BGN 3.08

$3.09 $3.09

-43.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.46

$4.59 $4.59

-57.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BGN 1.75

$2.33 $2.33

-57.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.27

$2.86 $2.86

-74.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.04

$2.08 $2.08

-71.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.97

$1.81 $1.81

-69.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 BGN 5.90

$11.98 $11.98

-72.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 BGN 8.84

$12.99 $12.99

-61.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 BGN 1.91

$1.56 $1.56

-30.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.97

$1.55 $1.55

9.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BGN 1.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.75 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$2.55 $2.55

-49.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$1.27 $1.27

-51.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 BGN 17.55

$28.55 $28.55

-65.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.90 $0.90

66.67%

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

$28.9K BGN 51.0K

$29.6K $29.6K

-2.12%

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

$21.2K BGN 37.3K

$24.3K $24.3K

-12.76%

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

$93.8 BGN 165

$243 $243

-61.40%

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

$14.81 BGN 26.06

$45.59 $45.59

-67.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.34

$61.0 $61.0

-80.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.80 BGN 57.7

$22.60 $22.60

45.13%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.57 BGN 15.08

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.70

$14.13 $14.13

-61.00%

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

$228 BGN 402

$2,656 $2,656

-91.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,259 BGN 3,977

$36.6K $36.6K

-93.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.12 BGN 53.0

$73.5 $73.5

-59.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 BGN 34.24

$50.9 $50.9

-61.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.08 BGN 81.1

$113 $113

-59.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.97 BGN 86.2

$154 $154

-68.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 BGN 918

$1,200 $1,200

-56.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 641

$1,078 $1,078

-66.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 BGN 1,107

$1,602 $1,602

-60.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 1,000

$1,473 $1,473

-61.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 BGN 2,041

$2,386 $2,386

-51.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 BGN 1,681

$2,378 $2,378

-59.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 BGN 2,938

$1,948 $1,948

-14.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.3

-52.54%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Last update for Augusta, ME: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.8%

Augusta, ME

$1.1K 45.2% 196% $714

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 19.9%

Augusta, ME

$413 17.3% 116% $221

Eating Out

Bansko

$144 15%

Augusta, ME

$312 13% 116% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$121 12.5%

Augusta, ME

$349 14.6% 190% $229

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.8%

Augusta, ME

$176 7.4% 171% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Augusta, ME

$51 2.1% 16% $7

Getting Around

Bansko

$34 3.6%

Augusta, ME

$8.9 * 0.4% 74.1% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $522 in Bansko and $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Augusta, ME pays 17% 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 in Bansko vs $53 in Augusta, ME for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $413 per month, with Bansko cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇺🇸 Augusta, ME

🕒 Local time

20:34 8:34 PM

14:34 2:34 PM

6 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

194,343

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.11 USD (1 USD = 0.898 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bansko Augusta, ME 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Augusta, ME

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 Augusta, ME: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bansko and Augusta, ME differ by about 148% in total monthly costs ($964 vs $2,388 including rent). Bansko is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Bansko. 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: $522 in Bansko versus $1,200 in Augusta, ME. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $228 in Bansko versus $2,656 in Augusta, ME. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Bansko – a meal for two runs $45 versus $53 in Augusta, ME. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $964 in Bansko versus $2,388 in Augusta, ME, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Bansko but tight or insufficient in Augusta, ME. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Bansko wins on affordability, Augusta, ME on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.