Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Stara Zagora

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $908 a month against $964 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $670 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$908

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Stara Zagora

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Bansko vs $908 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Bansko $964
Stara Zagora $908

A couple spends around $1,471 per month in Bansko vs $1,415 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Bansko $1,471
Stara Zagora $1,415

A family of three spends $1,978 per month in Bansko vs $1,921 in Stara Zagora, rent included.

Bansko $1,978
Stara Zagora $1,921

Bansko costs about 6% more than Stara Zagora, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 BGN 14.60

$10.38 BGN 18.16

-19.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 BGN 78.9

$51.7 BGN 90.5

-12.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 BGN 15.99

$9.15 BGN 16.02

-0.11%

Cappuccino

$2.31 BGN 4.04

$2.34 BGN 4.09

-1.28%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.75

$1.50 BGN 2.62

4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.21 BGN 3.87

-23.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BGN 3.54

$2.03 BGN 3.56

-0.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.04

$1.73 BGN 3.02

0.58%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.39

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-6.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 BGN 2.57

$1.45 BGN 2.54

1.38%

Eggs

$2.24 BGN 3.93

$2.36 BGN 4.12

-5.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 BGN 16.63

$9.38 BGN 16.42

1.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 BGN 11.16

$6.39 BGN 11.18

-0.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.85

$8.59 BGN 15.03

-1.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.19

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 BGN 3.01

$1.70 BGN 2.98

1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

$1.76 BGN 3.08

-0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.44

$1.93 BGN 3.38

2.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BGN 1.74

$1.00 BGN 1.74

-1.00%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.55 BGN 0.97

7.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.63 BGN 1.10

-12.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 BGN 5.87

$3.64 BGN 6.38

-7.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 BGN 8.79

$5.25 BGN 9.18

-4.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 BGN 1.89

$1.09 BGN 1.91

-0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.95

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-2.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.85 BGN 1.49

-3.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.75 BGN 46.82

$20.45 BGN 35.79

30.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.27

$1.29 BGN 2.26

0.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$0.64 BGN 1.13

-4.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 BGN 17.45

$11.40 BGN 19.95

-12.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.62

$1.57 BGN 2.75

-4.46%

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

$28.9K BGN 50.7K

$29.7K BGN 52.0K

-2.62%

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

$21.2K BGN 37.1K

$23.5K BGN 41.1K

-9.80%

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

$93.8 BGN 164

$91.4 BGN 160

2.65%

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

$14.81 BGN 25.92

$14.59 BGN 25.53

1.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.22

$12.26 BGN 21.46

-1.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.80 BGN 57.4

$33.21 BGN 58.1

-1.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.57 BGN 14.99

$21.06 BGN 36.86

-59.31%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.64

$8.89 BGN 15.55

-38.02%

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

$228 BGN 400

$227 BGN 398

0.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,259 BGN 3,954

$2,270 BGN 3,972

-0.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.12 BGN 52.7

$30.35 BGN 53.1

-0.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 BGN 34.04

$19.39 BGN 33.93

0.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.08 BGN 80.6

$64.0 BGN 112

-28.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.97 BGN 85.7

$51.9 BGN 90.8

-5.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 BGN 913

$330 BGN 577

58.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 638

$279 BGN 489

30.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 BGN 1,100

$498 BGN 871

26.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 994

$399 BGN 699

42.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 BGN 2,029

$1,506 BGN 2,635

-22.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 BGN 1,671

$1,109 BGN 1,941

-13.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 BGN 2,921

$1,067 BGN 1,867

56.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.8%

Stara Zagora

$279 30.8% 23.4% $85

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 19.9%

Stara Zagora

$194 21.3% 1.1% $2.1

Eating Out

Bansko

$144 15%

Stara Zagora

$163 18% 13.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$121 12.5%

Stara Zagora

$118 13% 2.1% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.8%

Stara Zagora

$75 8.2% 14.5% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Stara Zagora

$51 5.6% 16.3% $7.2

Getting Around

Bansko

$34 3.6%

Stara Zagora

$28 3.1% 17.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Bansko versus $330 in Stara Zagora. 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 57% higher in Bansko. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko versus $52 in Stara Zagora. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $194 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🕒 Local time

12:10 12:10 PM

Same time as Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

149,266

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Stara Zagora 190 km

From you

Bansko
Stara Zagora

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 Stara Zagora: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $964 in Bansko, $908 in Stara Zagora – Stara Zagora comes out roughly 6% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Bansko and $1,362 in Stara Zagora. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Stara Zagora, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $522 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Bansko and $908 in Stara Zagora. That makes Stara Zagora about 6% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Bansko and $227 in Stara Zagora. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $964 in Bansko and $908 in Stara Zagora, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $908 in Stara Zagora to $964 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Stara Zagora. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.