Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $889 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Serra

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $889 in Serra, rent included.

Bansko $956
Serra $889

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,317 in Serra, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Serra $1,317

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,744 in Serra, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Serra $1,744

Bansko costs about 8% more than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bansko and Serra are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Serra 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$4.77 R$24.16

81.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$22.99 R$117

95.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$8.20 R$41.58

7.07%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.09 R$10.57

11.48%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.34 R$6.77

17.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.62 R$3.15

32.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.95 R$9.88

-13.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.06 R$15.53

-35.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.13 R$5.70

53.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.80 R$9.13

-55.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$1.17 R$5.95

23.08%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$2.14 R$10.87

10.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$10.49 R$53.2

-10.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.58 R$23.22

39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$8.54 R$43.27

-0.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$2.87 R$14.53

-54.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.53 R$7.74

5.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.83 R$9.28

-5.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.62 R$8.20

19.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.18 R$5.96

-20.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.11 R$5.65

-31.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$1.34 R$6.78

-58.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$1.39 R$7.03

-57.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$2.49 R$12.62

30.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$5.64 R$28.59

-7.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$0.98 R$4.98

11.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$3.27 R$16.59

-48.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.97 R$4.93

-13.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$47.18 R$239

-42.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$1.31 R$6.66

2.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$1.13 R$5.72

-42.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$6.89 R$34.95

46.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.08 R$5.49

37.04%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$23.5K R$119.2K

23.94%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$33.8K R$171.1K

-38.03%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$158 R$803

-41.65%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$12.30 R$62.4

18.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$21.05 R$107

-41.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$25.83 R$131

22.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$27.87 R$141

-69.39%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$7.49 R$37.95

-24.97%

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

$230 BGN 401

$188 R$955

22.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$6,726 R$34.1K

-66.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$55.0 R$279

-45.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$51.1 R$259

-61.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$91.1 R$462

-49.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$74.3 R$377

-35.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$251 R$1,271

106.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$153 R$774

133.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$446 R$2,261

37.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$220 R$1,117

158.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$970 R$4,917

22.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$563 R$2,852

70.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$559 R$2,833

204.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

-72.82%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Serra: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Serra

$153 17.2% 57.2% $204

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Serra

$212 23.8% 10.5% $20

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Serra

$111 12.5% 23.4% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Serra

$192 21.6% 60.8% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Serra

$122 13.8% 89.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Serra

$41 4.6% 5% $2.2

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Serra

$58 6.5% 65.7% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $251 in Serra. 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 205% higher in Bansko, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Bansko versus $23.00 in Serra. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $212 in Serra – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

04:04 4:04 AM

6 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

520,653

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Serra 9,500 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $889 in Serra – roughly 8% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $1,333 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serra, 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 $45.00 in Bansko and $23.00 in Serra. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $956 in Bansko and $889 in Serra. That's a gap of about 8%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Serra, where all-in costs run around $889, than in Bansko at $956. In Serra it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $889 in Serra to $956 in Bansko. 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 Serra. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.