Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Besancon and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,755 in Besancon, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Besancon
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Besancon Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Besancon

🇫🇷 France

$1,755

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Besancon 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 Besancon and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,755 per month in Besancon vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Besancon $1,755
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,536 per month in Besancon vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Besancon $2,536
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $3,318 per month in Besancon vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Besancon $3,318
Bansko $1,979

Besancon costs about 84% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Besancon sits 30% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.89

$8.66 BGN 15.15

92.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.2 €49.19

$44.94 BGN 78.6

22.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.94 €9.76

$8.78 BGN 15.36

24.60%

Cappuccino

$3.03 €2.71

$2.33 BGN 4.07

30.04%

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

$2.36 €2.10

$1.57 BGN 2.76

50.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.82 BGN 1.44

89.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.58 €5.87

$1.68 BGN 2.93

291.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 €4.96

$1.98 BGN 3.47

180.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 €1.14

$1.73 BGN 3.02

-26.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.80 BGN 1.40

113.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 €1.91

$1.44 BGN 2.53

48.61%

Eggs

$4.41 €3.94

$2.36 BGN 4.13

86.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.97 €17.81

$9.39 BGN 16.43

112.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.95 €9.77

$6.41 BGN 11.21

70.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.89 €15.96

$8.48 BGN 14.84

110.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$1.31 BGN 2.29

102.29%

Banana (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.62 BGN 2.84

39.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.43

$1.73 BGN 3.03

57.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.94 BGN 3.40

26.80%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.27

$0.94 BGN 1.64

170.21%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.16

$0.76 BGN 1.33

218.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.43 €1.28

$0.55 BGN 0.96

160.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.59 BGN 1.03

98.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.78 €12.29

$3.25 BGN 5.69

324.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.39 €8.37

$5.20 BGN 9.10

80.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 €4.32

$1.09 BGN 1.90

344.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.90

$1.68 BGN 2.94

93.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.84 BGN 1.46

100.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.17 €39.40

$27.06 BGN 47.36

63.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 €2.71

$1.34 BGN 2.35

126.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.12 €1.89

$0.65 BGN 1.14

226.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.05 €26.80

$10.06 BGN 17.61

198.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.90

$1.48 BGN 2.59

43.92%

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

$34.4K €30.7K

$29.1K BGN 51.0K

18.07%

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

$34.3K €30.6K

$20.9K BGN 36.6K

63.85%

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

$225 €200

$92.4 BGN 162

142.95%

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

$14.65 €13.07

$14.52 BGN 25.40

0.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.19 €30.50

$12.32 BGN 21.55

177.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.44 €23.58

$31.70 BGN 55.5

-16.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.68 €17.55

$8.53 BGN 14.92

130.72%

Cinema Ticket

$11.32 €10.10

$5.62 BGN 9.84

101.42%

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

$339 €302

$230 BGN 403

47.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,309 €6,520

$2,268 BGN 3,970

222.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.3

$30.10 BGN 52.7

228.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.58 €34.41

$19.62 BGN 34.33

96.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 €83.0

$45.86 BGN 80.3

102.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €110

$47.69 BGN 83.5

159.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$635 €566

$518 BGN 907

22.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 €527

$357 BGN 625

65.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$991 €884

$614 BGN 1,075

61.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €717

$569 BGN 996

41.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,822 €2,517

$1,191 BGN 2,085

136.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,245 €2,002

$959 BGN 1,679

134.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,181 €1,945

$1,704 BGN 2,982

28.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

2.99

21.07%

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

Last update for Besancon: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Besancon

$590 33.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 39.5% $233

Groceries & Markets

Besancon

$356 20.3%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 46.1% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Besancon

$273 15.6%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 56.4% $154

Eating Out

Besancon

$262 15%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 44.6% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Besancon

$159 9.1%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 59.6% $95

Getting Around

Besancon

$65 3.7%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 45.7% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Besancon

$49 2.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 12.5% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $635 in Besancon versus $518 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 28% higher in Besancon, 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 $55.0 in Besancon versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Besancon

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

01:33 1:33 AM

02:33 2:33 AM

1 h ahead of Besancon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,198

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Besancon Bansko 1,500 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Besancon
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

Besancon vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,755 in Besancon, $956 in Bansko – roughly 84% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,633 per month in Besancon and $1,434 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 $55.0 in Besancon and $45.00 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 $1,755 in Besancon and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 84%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Besancon at $1,755. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Besancon 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 $1,755 in Besancon. 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, Besancon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.