Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Varnamo

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $964 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Varnamo

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Bansko vs $1,692 in Varnamo, rent included.

Bansko $964
Varnamo $1,692

A couple spends around $1,471 per month in Bansko vs $2,672 in Varnamo, rent included.

Bansko $1,471
Varnamo $2,672

A family of three spends $1,978 per month in Bansko vs $3,652 in Varnamo, rent included.

Bansko $1,978
Varnamo $3,652

Bansko is about 43% cheaper than Varnamo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bansko sits 29% below the global median, while Varnamo is 24% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.34 BGN 14.68

$13.01 SEK 129

-35.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.11 BGN 79.4

$89.7 SEK 891

-49.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 BGN 16.08

$12.23 SEK 121

-25.27%

Cappuccino

$2.31 BGN 4.06

$4.68 SEK 46.47

-50.64%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.76

$2.72 SEK 26.99

-42.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 BGN 1.53

$2.13 SEK 21.15

-59.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 BGN 2.99

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-78.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BGN 3.56

$7.08 SEK 70.3

-71.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 BGN 3.06

$1.71 SEK 17.03

1.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$2.50 SEK 24.81

-68.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 BGN 2.58

$3.54 SEK 35.20

-58.47%

Eggs

$2.24 BGN 3.95

$4.63 SEK 45.97

-51.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 BGN 16.73

$12.57 SEK 125

-24.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 BGN 11.22

$11.73 SEK 116

-45.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.93

$15.69 SEK 156

-45.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.25 BGN 2.20

$3.11 SEK 30.92

-59.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 BGN 3.02

$2.55 SEK 25.31

-32.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.75 BGN 3.08

$2.82 SEK 27.99

-37.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.46

$4.52 SEK 44.89

-56.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 BGN 1.75

$1.72 SEK 17.12

-42.44%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.27

$1.41 SEK 14.02

-48.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.04

$2.57 SEK 25.53

-77.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 BGN 0.97

$1.52 SEK 15.13

-63.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.35 BGN 5.90

$7.81 SEK 77.6

-57.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 BGN 8.84

$11.14 SEK 111

-54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 BGN 1.91

$1.93 SEK 19.22

-44.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.97

$2.64 SEK 26.25

-35.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BGN 1.44

$3.19 SEK 31.70

-74.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.75 BGN 47.09

$74.7 SEK 742

-64.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.28

$5.04 SEK 50.1

-74.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.07

$1.08 SEK 10.71

-43.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.97 BGN 17.55

$41.06 SEK 408

-75.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$1.72 SEK 17.08

-12.79%

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

$28.9K BGN 51.0K

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

-13.78%

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

$21.2K BGN 37.3K

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

-38.17%

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

$93.8 BGN 165

$77.0 SEK 764

21.87%

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

$14.81 BGN 26.06

$17.22 SEK 171

-14.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.34

$30.45 SEK 302

-60.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.80 BGN 57.7

$39.03 SEK 388

-15.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.57 BGN 15.08

$22.33 SEK 222

-61.62%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.70

$15.36 SEK 153

-64.13%

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

$228 BGN 402

$157 SEK 1,558

45.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,259 BGN 3,977

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

-49.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.12 BGN 53.0

$80.4 SEK 799

-62.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.45 BGN 34.24

$56.8 SEK 564

-65.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$46.08 BGN 81.1

$99.9 SEK 992

-53.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.97 BGN 86.2

$123 SEK 1,223

-60.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 BGN 918

$794 SEK 7,889

-34.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 641

$612 SEK 6,075

-40.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 BGN 1,107

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

-46.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 1,000

$985 SEK 9,780

-42.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,159 BGN 2,041

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

-71.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$955 BGN 1,681

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

-66.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 BGN 2,938

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

-17.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.03

-1.32%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.8%

Varnamo

$612 36.2% 67.8% $247

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 19.9%

Varnamo

$357 21.1% 86.1% $165

Eating Out

Bansko

$144 15%

Varnamo

$269 15.9% 86.9% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$121 12.5%

Varnamo

$125 7.4% 3.2% $3.9

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.8%

Varnamo

$162 9.6% 149% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Varnamo

$70 4.1% 59.2% $26

Getting Around

Bansko

$34 3.6%

Varnamo

$98 5.8% 185% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Bansko versus $794 in Varnamo. 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 22% higher in Varnamo, 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 in Bansko versus $90 in Varnamo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $192 vs $357 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

16:19 4:19 PM

1 h behind Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

19,778

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Swedish Krona SEK kr

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SEK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Varnamo 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Varnamo

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 Varnamo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $964 in Bansko, $1,692 in Varnamo – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,446 per month in Bansko and $2,538 in Varnamo. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $794 in Varnamo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45 in Bansko and $90 in Varnamo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $964 in Bansko and $1,692 in Varnamo. That’s a gap of about 76%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Varnamo at $1,692. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varnamo 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 $964 in Bansko to $1,692 in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.