Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Biel and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $2,826 in Biel, rent and utilities included – about $22,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

137

Cost of Living Index in Biel
Learn more

Biel Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Biel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$2,826

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,826 per month in Biel vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Biel $2,826
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $4,452 per month in Biel vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Biel $4,452
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $6,078 per month in Biel vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Biel $6,078
Bansko $1,979

Biel costs about 196% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Biel sits 109% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$30.08 CHF 24.77

$8.66 BGN 15.06

247.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$108 CHF 88.9

$44.94 BGN 78.2

140.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.28 CHF 15.06

$8.78 BGN 15.28

108.20%

Cappuccino

$6.07 CHF 5.00

$2.33 BGN 4.05

160.52%

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

$5.17 CHF 4.26

$1.57 BGN 2.74

229.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.13 CHF 3.40

$0.82 BGN 1.43

403.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.77 CHF 6.40

$1.68 BGN 2.92

362.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$1.98 BGN 3.45

147.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CHF 1.72

$1.73 BGN 3.00

20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$0.80 BGN 1.40

372.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.30 CHF 2.72

$1.44 BGN 2.51

129.17%

Eggs

$7.19 CHF 5.92

$2.36 BGN 4.10

204.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.93 CHF 18.06

$9.39 BGN 16.34

133.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$27.12 CHF 22.34

$6.41 BGN 11.15

323.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$38.83 CHF 31.98

$8.48 BGN 14.76

357.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.06 CHF 2.52

$1.31 BGN 2.28

133.59%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.62 BGN 2.82

25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 CHF 2.02

$1.73 BGN 3.01

42.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.10 CHF 2.55

$1.94 BGN 3.38

59.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 CHF 1.21

$0.94 BGN 1.63

56.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 CHF 1.49

$0.76 BGN 1.32

138.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$0.55 BGN 0.95

270.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 CHF 0.87

$0.59 BGN 1.02

77.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.99 CHF 9.05

$3.25 BGN 5.66

238.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.90 CHF 12.28

$5.20 BGN 9.05

186.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 CHF 0.76

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 CHF 1.46

$1.68 BGN 2.92

5.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.91 CHF 4.04

$0.84 BGN 1.45

484.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$93.3 CHF 76.9

$27.06 BGN 47.09

244.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 CHF 6.46

$1.34 BGN 2.34

485.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.53 CHF 3.73

$0.65 BGN 1.14

596.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$83.0 CHF 68.4

$10.06 BGN 17.51

725.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.22 CHF 1.83

$1.48 BGN 2.57

50.00%

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

$41.7K CHF 34.4K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

43.16%

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

$34.8K CHF 28.7K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

66.50%

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

$137 CHF 113

$92.4 BGN 161

48.69%

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

$35.74 CHF 29.43

$14.52 BGN 25.26

146.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CHF 41.30

$12.32 BGN 21.43

307.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.2 CHF 63.6

$31.70 BGN 55.2

143.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$21.92 CHF 18.05

$5.62 BGN 9.78

290.04%

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

$2,620 CHF 2,158

$230 BGN 401

1037.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.2K CHF 30.6K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

1538.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 CHF 89.2

$30.10 BGN 52.4

260.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.74 CHF 33.56

$19.62 BGN 34.13

107.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$136 CHF 112

$45.86 BGN 79.8

196.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$219 CHF 180

$47.69 BGN 83.0

358.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,240 CHF 1,022

$518 BGN 902

139.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,120 CHF 922

$357 BGN 621

213.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,275 CHF 1,874

$614 BGN 1,069

270.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,035 CHF 1,676

$569 BGN 990

257.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,683 CHF 7,975

$1,191 BGN 2,073

712.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,818 CHF 6,439

$959 BGN 1,669

715.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,516 CHF 4,543

$1,704 BGN 2,965

223.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.68

2.99

-43.81%

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

Last update for Biel: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Biel

$1.1K 39.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 68.1% $763

Groceries & Markets

Biel

$538 19%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 64.4% $346

Eating Out

Biel

$454 16.1%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 68% $309

Clothing & Footwear

Biel

$227 8%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 71.6% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Biel

$223 7.9%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 46.6% $104

Getting Around

Biel

$143 5.1%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 75.6% $108

Sport & Entertainment

Biel

$121 4.3%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 64.5% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,240 in Biel 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 224% higher in Biel, 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 $108 in Biel versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $538 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Biel

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:31 5:31 AM

06:31 6:31 AM

1 h ahead of Biel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,378

8,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Biel Bansko 1,410 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Biel
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

Biel vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,826 in Biel, $956 in Bansko – roughly 196% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,240 per month in Biel 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 $108 in Biel 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 $2,826 in Biel and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 196%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Biel at $2,826. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Biel 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 $2,826 in Biel. 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, Biel makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.