Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Hawassa

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

A single person spends $968 per month in Bansko vs $838 in Hawassa, rent included.

Bansko $968
Hawassa $838

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Bansko vs $1,202 in Hawassa, rent included.

Bansko $1,479
Hawassa $1,202

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Bansko vs $1,566 in Hawassa, rent included.

Bansko $1,989
Hawassa $1,566

Bansko costs about 15% more than Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Hawassa are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Hawassa 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$3.88 ETB 625

127.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$42.15 ETB 6,777

7.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$6.60 ETB 1,061

35.15%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$0.88 ETB 142

164.77%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.63 ETB 101

136.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.68 ETB 109

22.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$0.78 ETB 125

124.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$2.21 ETB 355

-9.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$1.05 ETB 169

63.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$1.17 ETB 189

-26.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.03 ETB 165

41.75%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$1.58 ETB 254

47.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$7.38 ETB 1,186

29.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$10.02 ETB 1,612

-37.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$9.27 ETB 1,491

-6.80%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$5.23 ETB 841

-74.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$0.63 ETB 101

161.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$2.24 ETB 361

-22.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.69 ETB 112

181.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$0.47 ETB 75.0

102.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.09 ETB 175

-33.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.66 ETB 106

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.57 ETB 91.7

3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$7.91 ETB 1,272

-57.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$5.65 ETB 908

-10.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$0.67 ETB 108

67.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.22 ETB 197

41.80%

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

$1.36 ETB 218

20.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.27 ETB 43.39

237.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$2.02 ETB 325

395.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$0.95 ETB 153

57.89%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

-47.39%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

-61.77%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$205 ETB 33.0K

-54.90%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$7.48 ETB 1,202

95.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$216 ETB 34.8K

-94.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$3.81 ETB 613

44.62%

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

$227 BGN 395

$616 ETB 99.1K

-63.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

-92.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$33.38 ETB 5,368

-8.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

-72.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

-40.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

-42.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

$500 ETB 80.3K

93.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

18.5

-83.84%

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

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Hawassa

$205 24.5% 6.3% $12

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Hawassa

$75 8.9% 49.1% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Hawassa

$429 51.2% 260% $310

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Hawassa

$119 14.2% 83.8% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9% 82.2% $35

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3% 92.6% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko versus $42 in Hawassa. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $205 in Hawassa – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

19:08 7:08 PM

20:08 8:08 PM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

160,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.53 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Hawassa 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $968 in Bansko, $838 in Hawassa – Hawassa comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,452 per month in Bansko and $1,258 in Hawassa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $968 in Bansko and $838 in Hawassa. That makes Hawassa about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Bansko and $616 in Hawassa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $968 in Bansko and $838 in Hawassa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $968 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.