Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Madinat Hamad

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Madinat Hamad
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Madinat Hamad Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Madinat Hamad

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$1,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Madinat Hamad

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

A single person spends $968 per month in Bansko vs $1,192 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Bansko $968
Madinat Hamad $1,192

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Bansko vs $1,909 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Bansko $1,479
Madinat Hamad $1,909

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Bansko vs $2,627 in Madinat Hamad, rent included.

Bansko $1,989
Madinat Hamad $2,627

Bansko is about 19% cheaper than Madinat Hamad, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Bansko and Madinat Hamad are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Madinat Hamad 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$2.60 BHD 0.98

239.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$52.6 BHD 19.82

-13.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$7.62 BHD 2.87

17.06%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.62 BHD 0.99

-11.07%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.89 BHD 0.33

67.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.32 BHD 0.12

159.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$6.44 BHD 2.43

-72.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$9.77 BHD 3.68

-79.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$1.44 BHD 0.54

19.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$1.03 BHD 0.39

-16.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$2.39 BHD 0.90

-38.91%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.02 BHD 0.76

15.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$8.86 BHD 3.34

7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$6.41 BHD 2.42

-1.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$8.36 BHD 3.15

3.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$2.18 BHD 0.82

-39.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$1.62 BHD 0.61

1.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$1.90 BHD 0.72

-8.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.35 BHD 0.51

43.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$1.02 BHD 0.38

-6.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.03 BHD 0.39

-30.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$1.50 BHD 0.56

-63.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.50 BHD 0.19

18.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$5.17 BHD 1.95

-35.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$18.64 BHD 7.03

-72.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$3.66 BHD 1.38

-69.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.71 BHD 1.02

-36.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.64 BHD 0.24

39.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

$34.51 BHD 13.01

-21.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$5.15 BHD 1.94

-68.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$2.59 BHD 0.98

-64.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$16.06 BHD 6.06

-37.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$0.39 BHD 0.15

284.62%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$25.7K BHD 9,693

11.11%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$19.9K BHD 7,510

6.62%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$155 BHD 58.3

-40.21%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$23.42 BHD 8.83

-37.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$18.89 BHD 7.12

-35.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

$118 BHD 44.36

-72.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

$53.9 BHD 20.34

-84.32%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$5.21 BHD 1.96

5.76%

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

$227 BGN 395

$619 BHD 233

-63.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$11.1K BHD 4,194

-79.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$51.5 BHD 19.41

-40.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$57.5 BHD 21.67

-67.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$87.0 BHD 32.80

-47.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$90.4 BHD 34.10

-46.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

$397 BHD 150

28.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

$312 BHD 118

16.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

$797 BHD 300

-21.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

$670 BHD 253

-15.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

$669 BHD 252

151.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.21

-51.85%

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

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Last update for Madinat Hamad: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Madinat Hamad

$312 26.2% 14.3% $52

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Madinat Hamad

$239 20.1% 23.9% $46

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Madinat Hamad

$132 11.1% 10.6% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Madinat Hamad

$197 16.5% 65.2% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Madinat Hamad

$129 10.8% 99.4% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Madinat Hamad

$128 10.7% 199% $85

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Madinat Hamad

$55 4.6% 49.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $510 in Bansko versus $397 in Madinat Hamad. 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 2.5 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko versus $53 in Madinat Hamad. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $239 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇧🇭 Madinat Hamad

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

10:01 10:01 AM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

133,350

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.423 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Madinat Hamad 3,020 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Madinat Hamad

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 Madinat Hamad: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $968 in Bansko, $1,192 in Madinat Hamad – Bansko comes out roughly 19% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,452 per month in Bansko and $1,788 in Madinat Hamad. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Madinat Hamad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $397 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko and $53 in Madinat Hamad. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $968 in Bansko and $1,192 in Madinat Hamad. That makes Bansko about 19% cheaper.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bansko costs $968 versus $1,192 in Madinat Hamad. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.