Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Tsushima Island

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,243 in Tsushima Island, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Tsushima Island
Learn more

Tsushima Island Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Tsushima Island

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,243

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Tsushima Island

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $1,243 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Bansko $956
Tsushima Island $1,243

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,932 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Tsushima Island $1,932

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $2,621 in Tsushima Island, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Tsushima Island $2,621

Bansko is about 23% cheaper than Tsushima Island, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Tsushima Island are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Tsushima Island 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$7.05 ¥1,115

22.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$34.88 ¥5,511

28.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$5.41 ¥855

62.29%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.10 ¥489

-24.84%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.09 ¥172

44.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.76 ¥121

7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.14 ¥338

-21.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.04 ¥480

-34.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.51 ¥239

14.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.65 ¥261

-51.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$4.90 ¥774

-70.61%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$2.32 ¥366

1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$10.15 ¥1,604

-7.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$6.14 ¥970

4.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$15.73 ¥2,485

-46.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$5.23 ¥826

-74.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$2.55 ¥402

-36.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$4.07 ¥644

-57.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$4.65 ¥735

-58.28%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$3.31 ¥523

-71.60%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.68 ¥424

-71.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$1.38 ¥218

-60.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.88 ¥139

-32.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$4.21 ¥665

-22.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$6.52 ¥1,031

-20.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$2.01 ¥317

-45.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.30 ¥364

-26.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$1.67 ¥264

-49.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$55.2 ¥8,717

-50.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$3.45 ¥546

-61.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$2.91 ¥460

-77.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$21.07 ¥3,329

-52.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.24 ¥196

19.35%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$23.1K ¥3.6M

26.32%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$17.2K ¥2.7M

21.75%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$139 ¥21.9K

-33.47%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$26.86 ¥4,244

-45.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$34.31 ¥5,420

-64.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$58.7 ¥9,269

-45.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$13.77 ¥2,176

-38.05%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$13.36 ¥2,111

-57.93%

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

$230 BGN 401

$283 ¥44.7K

-18.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$13.3K ¥2.1M

-83.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$42.68 ¥6,742

-29.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$29.86 ¥4,717

-34.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$59.3 ¥9,365

-22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$90.5 ¥14.3K

-47.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$463 ¥73.1K

11.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$334 ¥52.8K

6.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$877 ¥138.6K

-29.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$657 ¥103.8K

-13.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$2,841 ¥448.8K

-58.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$1,775 ¥280.5K

-45.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

1.81

65.19%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tsushima Island: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Tsushima Island

$334 26.9% 6.3% $22

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Tsushima Island

$309 24.9% 61% $117

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Tsushima Island

$134 10.8% 7.9% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Tsushima Island

$200 16.1% 67.8% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Tsushima Island

$100 8.1% 55.2% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Tsushima Island

$85 6.9% 98.8% $42

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Tsushima Island

$80 6.4% 128% $45

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $463 in Tsushima Island. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Bansko versus $35.00 in Tsushima Island. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $309 in Tsushima Island – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇯🇵 Tsushima Island

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

18:25 6:25 PM

6 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

28,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

JPY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

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Bansko Tsushima Island 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Bansko
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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 Tsushima Island: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $1,243 in Tsushima Island – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $1,864 in Tsushima Island. 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 $45.00 in Bansko and $35.00 in Tsushima Island. 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 $1,243 in Tsushima Island. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Tsushima Island at $1,243. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tsushima Island 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,243 in Tsushima Island. 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, Tsushima Island makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.