Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bergen and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,844 in Bergen, rent and utilities included – about $22,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

138

Cost of Living Index in Bergen
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Bergen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Bergen

🇳🇴 Norway

$2,844

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bergen and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bergen and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,844 per month in Bergen vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Bergen $2,844
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $4,282 per month in Bergen vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Bergen $4,282
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $5,719 per month in Bergen vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Bergen $5,719
Bansko $1,957

Bergen costs about 193% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bergen sits 112% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.98 NOK 219

$8.66 BGN 15.15

165.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$135 NOK 1,292

$46.63 BGN 81.6

190.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 NOK 148

$9.01 BGN 15.77

72.25%

Cappuccino

$5.42 NOK 51.8

$2.24 BGN 3.92

141.96%

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

$5.10 NOK 48.71

$1.50 BGN 2.63

240.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.47 NOK 42.65

$0.86 BGN 1.51

419.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.57 NOK 120

$1.76 BGN 3.07

614.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.41 NOK 99.4

$2.00 BGN 3.51

420.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.15 NOK 20.57

$1.79 BGN 3.14

20.11%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 NOK 36.13

$0.81 BGN 1.42

366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 NOK 33.54

$1.52 BGN 2.66

130.92%

Eggs

$6.41 NOK 61.3

$2.30 BGN 4.02

178.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.32 NOK 137

$9.60 BGN 16.81

49.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.21 NOK 164

$6.32 BGN 11.06

172.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$36.16 NOK 345

$8.64 BGN 15.12

318.52%

Apples (1kg)

$4.12 NOK 39.38

$1.28 BGN 2.24

221.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.72 NOK 25.95

$1.68 BGN 2.95

61.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.61 NOK 34.44

$1.70 BGN 2.98

112.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.39 NOK 51.4

$1.89 BGN 3.30

185.19%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 NOK 24.02

$0.93 BGN 1.63

170.97%

Onion (1kg)

$3.35 NOK 31.97

$0.76 BGN 1.32

340.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 NOK 27.34

$0.54 BGN 0.95

429.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 NOK 17.03

$0.58 BGN 1.02

206.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$17.10 NOK 163

$3.44 BGN 6.02

397.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.97 NOK 172

$5.14 BGN 9.00

249.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.59 NOK 34.31

$1.11 BGN 1.94

223.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.21 NOK 40.20

$1.70 BGN 2.97

147.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.15 NOK 49.21

$0.88 BGN 1.55

485.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$86.4 NOK 825

$26.76 BGN 46.83

222.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 NOK 118

$1.29 BGN 2.26

860.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 NOK 17.61

$0.65 BGN 1.14

183.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$70.5 NOK 674

$10.18 BGN 17.81

592.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.35 NOK 22.42

$1.50 BGN 2.63

56.67%

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

$48.6K NOK 463.7K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

68.53%

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

$43.3K NOK 413.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

102.03%

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

$275 NOK 2,623

$91.4 BGN 160

200.34%

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

$32.93 NOK 314

$14.68 BGN 25.68

124.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$82.9 NOK 791

$12.07 BGN 21.12

586.50%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.61 NOK 436

$32.28 BGN 56.5

41.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.77 NOK 399

$8.60 BGN 15.05

385.70%

Cinema Ticket

$18.87 NOK 180

$5.63 BGN 9.86

235.17%

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

$238 NOK 2,272

$228 BGN 400

4.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.0K NOK 114.9K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

420.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 NOK 1,022

$30.48 BGN 53.3

251.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.6 NOK 522

$19.01 BGN 33.26

187.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 NOK 1,128

$45.53 BGN 79.7

159.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$162 NOK 1,545

$48.67 BGN 85.2

232.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,414 NOK 13.5K

$521 BGN 913

171.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 NOK 10.3K

$367 BGN 643

194.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,348 NOK 22.4K

$634 BGN 1,110

270.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,696 NOK 16.2K

$558 BGN 976

204.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,822 NOK 74.7K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

549.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,769 NOK 45.5K

$971 BGN 1,699

391.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,527 NOK 43.2K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

171.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.27

2.99

76.25%

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

Last update for Bergen: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bergen

$1.1K 38.3%

Bansko

$367 38% 66.1% $716

Groceries & Markets

Bergen

$524 18.6%

Bansko

$193 20% 63.2% $331

Eating Out

Bergen

$417 14.8%

Bansko

$145 15% 65.2% $272

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bergen

$390 13.8%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 69.7% $272

Clothing & Footwear

Bergen

$199 7%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 67.5% $134

Getting Around

Bergen

$129 4.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 72.9% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Bergen

$83 3%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 47.8% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,414 in Bergen versus $521 in Bansko. 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 171% higher in Bergen, 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 $135 in Bergen versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $524 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇴 Bergen

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:49 5:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

1 h ahead of Bergen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

292,482

8,000

💱 Currency

Norwegian Krone NOK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NOK = 10.47 USD

100 NOK = 9.34 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NOK – Norwegian Krone Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇴 Norwegian Krone (kr)

Norwegian Krone exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.55 NOK (1 NOK = 0.105 USD). 1 EUR = 10.71 NOK (100 NOK = 9.34 EUR).

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).

USD to NOK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bergen Bansko 2,400 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Bergen
Bansko

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

Bergen vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,844 in Bergen, $970 in Bansko – roughly 193% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,267 per month in Bergen and $1,455 in Bansko. 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 $135 in Bergen and $47.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,844 in Bergen and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 193%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Bergen at $2,844. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bergen it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bergen has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $2,844 in Bergen. 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, Bergen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.