Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Sohar

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,403 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Sohar

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $1,403 in Sohar, rent included.

Bansko $970
Sohar $1,403

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $2,068 in Sohar, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Sohar $2,068

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $2,734 in Sohar, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Sohar $2,734

Bansko is about 31% cheaper than Sohar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bansko sits 28% below the global median, while Sohar is 5% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$6.48 OMR 2.49

33.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$20.49 OMR 7.89

127.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$9.19 OMR 3.54

-1.96%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$4.77 OMR 1.84

-53.04%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.64 OMR 0.25

134.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.28 OMR 0.11

207.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$13.24 OMR 5.10

-86.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$14.46 OMR 5.57

-86.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.11 OMR 0.81

-15.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.11 OMR 0.43

-27.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$3.23 OMR 1.24

-52.94%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.74 OMR 1.05

-16.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$13.31 OMR 5.12

-27.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$9.30 OMR 3.58

-32.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$14.55 OMR 5.60

-40.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$3.22 OMR 1.24

-60.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$2.19 OMR 0.84

-23.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.49 OMR 0.96

-31.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$1.22 OMR 0.47

54.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.74 OMR 0.67

-46.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.79 OMR 0.69

-57.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$1.70 OMR 0.66

-68.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.90 OMR 0.35

-35.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$5.83 OMR 2.25

-40.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$25.80 OMR 9.93

-80.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$3.79 OMR 1.46

-70.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$8.71 OMR 3.35

-80.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$2.63 OMR 1.01

-66.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

$51.1 OMR 19.65

-47.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$3.19 OMR 1.23

-59.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$1.58 OMR 0.61

-58.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$10.21 OMR 3.93

-0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.60 OMR 0.23

150.00%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$18.4K OMR 7,099

56.21%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$20.3K OMR 7,828

5.48%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$102 OMR 39.40

-10.66%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$29.06 OMR 11.19

-49.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$90.2 OMR 34.71

-86.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$49.40 OMR 19.02

-34.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$11.56 OMR 4.45

-51.30%

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

$228 BGN 400

$303 OMR 117

-24.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$7,070 OMR 2,721

-67.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$50.1 OMR 19.30

-39.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$43.95 OMR 16.92

-56.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$78.4 OMR 30.17

-41.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$46.23 OMR 17.79

5.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$503 OMR 194

3.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$378 OMR 146

-2.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$827 OMR 318

-23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$665 OMR 256

-16.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$1,178 OMR 453

2.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$765 OMR 295

26.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$2,514 OMR 968

-33.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.33

-52.76%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Sohar

$378 26.5% 2.9% $11

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Sohar

$346 24.3% 79.1% $153

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Sohar

$235 16.5% 62% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Sohar

$222 15.6% 87.5% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Sohar

$98 6.9% 52.2% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 66.5% $29

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Sohar

$73 5.1% 108% $38

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $503 in Sohar. 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 51% higher in Sohar, 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 $47.00 in Bansko versus $20.00 in Sohar. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $346 in Sohar – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇴🇲 Sohar

🕒 Local time

08:03 8:03 AM

09:03 9:03 AM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

221,605

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

OMR, 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).

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bansko Sohar 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Sohar

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 Sohar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $1,403 in Sohar – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $2,104 in Sohar. 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 $20.00 in Sohar. 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 $1,403 in Sohar. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Sohar at $1,403. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sohar 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,403 in Sohar. 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, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.