Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Saint John's

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,816 in Saint John's, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
85

Cost of Living Index in Saint John's
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Saint John's Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Saint John's

🇦🇬 Antigua and Barbuda

$1,816

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Saint John's

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $1,816 in Saint John's, rent included.

Bansko $970
Saint John's $1,816

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $2,873 in Saint John's, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Saint John's $2,873

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $3,929 in Saint John's, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Saint John's $3,929

Bansko is about 47% cheaper than Saint John's, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bansko sits 28% below the global median, while Saint John's is 36% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$22.50 EC$60.8

-61.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$75.0 EC$203

-37.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$10.97 EC$29.62

-17.87%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$3.80 EC$10.27

-41.05%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$2.03 EC$5.47

-26.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.87 EC$2.34

-1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$1.87 EC$5.05

-5.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$4.48 EC$12.09

-55.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.18 EC$5.88

-17.89%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$2.81 EC$7.59

-71.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.90 EC$5.14

-20.00%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$6.63 EC$17.91

-65.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$8.32 EC$22.46

15.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$8.31 EC$22.44

-23.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$6.48 EC$17.49

-80.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$2.42 EC$6.54

-30.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$8.12 EC$21.93

-79.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$8.10 EC$21.87

-76.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$2.92 EC$7.88

-68.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.90 EC$7.84

-73.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$2.64 EC$7.12

-79.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$1.61 EC$4.34

-63.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$5.53 EC$14.93

-7.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$2.73 EC$7.36

-59.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$4.55 EC$12.29

-62.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$1.63 EC$4.40

-7.98%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$256 EC$692

-64.34%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$40.32 EC$109

-63.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$81.4 EC$220

-85.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$65.3 EC$176

-50.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$6.43 EC$17.36

-12.44%

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

$228 BGN 400

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$1,855 EC$5,009

24.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$49.21 EC$133

-38.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$75.4 EC$204

-39.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$1,036 EC$2,796

-49.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$680 EC$1,835

-45.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,694 EC$4,573

-62.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$1,497 EC$4,043

-62.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$1,344 EC$3,630

24.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

5.5

-45.64%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Saint John's: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Saint John's

$680 37.2% 85% $312

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Saint John's

$349 * 19.1% 80.5% $156

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Saint John's

$288 15.8% 98.4% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Saint John's

$378 20.7% 220% $260

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Saint John's

$56 * 3.1% 13.3% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Saint John's

$78 4.3% 79.5% $35

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Saint John's

- * 0% 100%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $1,036 in Saint John's. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 24% higher in Bansko, 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 $47.00 in Bansko versus $75.0 in Saint John's. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $349 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇦🇬 Saint John's

🕒 Local time

11:33 11:33 AM

04:33 4:33 AM

7 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

21,926 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.33 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XCD, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.33 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Saint John's 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Saint John's

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 Saint John's: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $1,816 in Saint John's – roughly 87% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $2,724 in Saint John's. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Bansko and $75.0 in Saint John's. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $970 in Bansko and $1,816 in Saint John's. That's a gap of about 87%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Saint John's at $1,816. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John's it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Saint John's has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,816 in Saint John's. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Saint John's makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.