Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Shumen

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $912 a month against $965 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Shumen
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Shumen Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Shumen

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$912

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Shumen

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Bansko vs $912 in Shumen, rent included.

Bansko $965
Shumen $912

A couple spends around $1,481 per month in Bansko vs $1,424 in Shumen, rent included.

Bansko $1,481
Shumen $1,424

A family of three spends $1,998 per month in Bansko vs $1,937 in Shumen, rent included.

Bansko $1,998
Shumen $1,937

Bansko costs about 6% more than Shumen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bansko and Shumen are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Shumen 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 BGN 15.20

$9.25 BGN 16.10

-5.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.37 BGN 80.7

$34.99 BGN 60.9

32.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$9.23 BGN 16.06

-3.36%

Cappuccino

$2.27 BGN 3.94

$1.76 BGN 3.06

28.98%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.73

$1.50 BGN 2.60

4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$1.01 BGN 1.76

-11.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.94 BGN 5.12

-41.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$2.80 BGN 4.87

-30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.11

$1.78 BGN 3.10

0.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.03 BGN 1.79

-21.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$2.58 BGN 4.49

-41.47%

Eggs

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$2.88 BGN 5.01

-18.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 BGN 16.61

$9.27 BGN 16.12

3.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 BGN 11.54

$5.00 BGN 8.71

32.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.37 BGN 14.57

$8.88 BGN 15.45

-5.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$1.60 BGN 2.79

-18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$2.00 BGN 3.48

-16.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.09 BGN 3.64

-19.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.34

$2.20 BGN 3.83

-12.73%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.06 BGN 3.58

-54.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$1.28 BGN 2.23

-41.41%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-28.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.77 BGN 1.34

-24.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 BGN 5.67

$3.83 BGN 6.66

-14.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.04

$7.05 BGN 12.26

-26.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$0.93 BGN 1.62

22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.47 BGN 2.56

18.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-4.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.72 BGN 46.50

$25.88 BGN 45.04

3.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$1.70 BGN 2.96

-23.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.53 BGN 0.93

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 BGN 17.91

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$1.59 BGN 2.77

-1.89%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$30.2K BGN 52.6K

-3.58%

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

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

$21.9K BGN 38.1K

-2.68%

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

$92.8 BGN 161

$135 BGN 235

-31.17%

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

$15.05 BGN 26.18

$17.95 BGN 31.24

-16.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 BGN 21.21

$16.94 BGN 29.47

-28.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 BGN 57.1

$38.57 BGN 67.1

-14.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

$11.69 BGN 20.34

-28.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BGN 9.67

$7.07 BGN 12.31

-21.36%

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

$230 BGN 400

$576 BGN 1,002

-60.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,295 BGN 3,994

$10.5K BGN 18.2K

-78.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.31 BGN 52.7

$49.28 BGN 85.8

-38.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.41 BGN 33.78

$50.8 BGN 88.4

-61.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.34 BGN 78.9

$91.8 BGN 160

-50.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.47 BGN 84.3

$61.3 BGN 107

-20.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 BGN 894

$264 BGN 459

94.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 BGN 627

$176 BGN 307

104.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 BGN 1,096

$424 BGN 738

48.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 BGN 993

$335 BGN 583

70.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,202 BGN 2,091

$1,235 BGN 2,150

-2.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 BGN 1,691

$1,019 BGN 1,773

-4.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 BGN 2,898

$1,018 BGN 1,771

63.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.25

-8.00%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Last update for Shumen: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$361 37.4%

Shumen

$176 19.3% 51.1% $184

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$194 20.2%

Shumen

$212 23.2% 8.9% $17

Eating Out

Bansko

$146 15.2%

Shumen

$153 16.8% 4.7% $6.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$120 12.5%

Shumen

$170 18.6% 41.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Shumen

$114 12.5% 76.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.6%

Shumen

$53 5.8% 20% $8.8

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Shumen

$34 3.7% 2% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Bansko versus $264 in Shumen. 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 64% 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 $46.00 in Bansko versus $35.00 in Shumen. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Bansko vs $212 in Shumen – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇧🇬 Shumen

🕒 Local time

22:32 10:32 PM

Same time as Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

85,504

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Bansko Shumen 320 km

From you

Bansko
Shumen

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 Shumen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Bansko, $912 in Shumen – roughly 6% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Bansko and $1,367 in Shumen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, 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 $46.00 in Bansko and $35.00 in Shumen. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Bansko and $912 in Shumen. That's a gap of about 6%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $912, than in Bansko at $965. In Shumen 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 $912 in Shumen to $965 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 Shumen. 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.