Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Varanasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Varanasi: $289 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
14

Cost of Living Index in Varanasi
Learn more

Varanasi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Varanasi

🇮🇳 India

$289

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Varanasi

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $289 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bansko $956
Varanasi $289

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $476 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Varanasi $476

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $663 in Varanasi, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Varanasi $663

Bansko costs about 231% more than Varanasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Varanasi are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Varanasi 79% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$1.82 ₹173

375.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$7.99 ₹759

462.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$3.10 ₹295

183.23%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.57 ₹149

48.41%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.41 ₹39.31

282.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.11 ₹10.47

645.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.60 ₹152

5.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.04 ₹194

-2.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$0.62 ₹58.5

179.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.31 ₹29.90

158.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.53 ₹50.5

171.70%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$0.81 ₹77.3

191.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$3.20 ₹304

193.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$2.19 ₹208

192.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$1.40 ₹133

-6.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$0.60 ₹57.3

170.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$0.87 ₹82.7

98.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$0.32 ₹30.20

506.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.23 ₹21.68

308.70%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.25 ₹23.77

204.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.44 ₹42.08

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.28 ₹26.68

110.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$3.19 ₹303

1.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$5.83 ₹553

-10.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.58 ₹150

-31.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.87 ₹178

-10.16%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$4.19 ₹398

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.53 ₹50.7

58.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$9.63 ₹914

181.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.26 ₹24.88

415.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.10 ₹9.62

550.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$1.02 ₹96.9

886.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.05 ₹100

40.95%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$12.5K ₹1.2M

132.78%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$21.8K ₹2.1M

-4.00%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$12.47 ₹1,185

641.22%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$3.66 ₹348

296.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$6.98 ₹663

76.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$12.63 ₹1,199

150.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$2.86 ₹271

96.50%

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

$230 BGN 401

$38.92 ₹3,696

491.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$1,003 ₹95.2K

126.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$22.70 ₹2,156

32.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$25.30 ₹2,403

-22.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$37.80 ₹3,589

21.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$25.24 ₹2,397

88.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$111 ₹10.5K

367.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$47.37 ₹4,499

653.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$196 ₹18.6K

213.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$140 ₹13.3K

305.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$569 ₹54.0K

109.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$333 ₹31.6K

188.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$578 ₹54.9K

194.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

8.53

-64.95%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Varanasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Varanasi

$47 16.4% 86.7% $310

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Varanasi

$81 27.9% 58% $111

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Varanasi

$57 19.7% 60.9% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Varanasi

$23 8% 80.6% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Varanasi

$50 17.3% 22.5% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Varanasi

$18 6.4% 57.3% $25

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Varanasi

$13 4.3% 64.2% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $111 in Varanasi. 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 195% 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 $8.00 in Varanasi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $81.0 – making Varanasi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇳 Varanasi

🕒 Local time

02:38 2:38 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

3,100,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Varanasi 5,690 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Varanasi

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 Varanasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $289 in Varanasi – roughly 231% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $433 in Varanasi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Varanasi, 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 $8.00 in Varanasi. 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 $289 in Varanasi. That's a gap of about 231%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Varanasi, where all-in costs run around $289, than in Bansko at $956. In Varanasi 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 $289 in Varanasi 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 Varanasi. 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.