Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calama and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Calama: $595 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Calama
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Calama Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Calama

🇨🇱 Chile

$595

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $595 per month in Calama vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Calama $595
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,203 per month in Calama vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Calama $1,203
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,812 per month in Calama vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Calama $1,812
Bansko $1,979

Calama is about 38% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Calama and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Calama 56% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.95 CLP 6,841

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-19.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.49 CLP 31.0K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-29.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

Cappuccino

$2.05 CLP 2,018

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-12.02%

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

$0.93 CLP 916

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-40.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 CLP 929

$0.82 BGN 1.43

14.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.12 CLP 3,074

$1.68 BGN 2.92

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CLP 5,149

$1.98 BGN 3.45

164.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 CLP 1,087

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-36.42%

White Bread (500g)

$0.84 CLP 825

$0.80 BGN 1.40

5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.62 CLP 2,575

$1.44 BGN 2.51

81.94%

Eggs

$4.95 CLP 4,876

$2.36 BGN 4.10

109.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.36 CLP 9,217

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-0.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.22 CLP 6,119

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-2.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 CLP 7,413

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 CLP 1,242

$1.31 BGN 2.28

-3.82%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 CLP 1,029

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 CLP 1,523

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-10.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 CLP 1,081

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-43.30%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 CLP 884

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-4.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.93 CLP 916

$0.76 BGN 1.32

22.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 CLP 5,170

$3.25 BGN 5.66

61.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.19 CLP 4,128

$5.20 BGN 9.05

-19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 CLP 990

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-7.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.25 CLP 1,235

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-25.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 CLP 931

$0.84 BGN 1.45

13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.43 CLP 1,412

$0.65 BGN 1.14

120.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 CLP 1,415

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-2.70%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

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

$40.05 CLP 39.4K

$92.4 BGN 161

-56.67%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.28 CLP 13.1K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

7.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 CLP 50.9K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

63.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.74 CLP 20.4K

$8.53 BGN 14.84

143.14%

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 CLP 4,617

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-16.55%

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

$306 CLP 301.6K

$230 BGN 401

32.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.08 CLP 35.5K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

19.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.38 CLP 27.9K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

44.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.82 CLP 45.1K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

-0.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.8 CLP 60.9K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

29.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$327 CLP 322.3K

$518 BGN 902

-36.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$102 CLP 100.6K

$357 BGN 621

-71.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$807 CLP 794.0K

$614 BGN 1,069

31.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$608 CLP 599.0K

$569 BGN 990

6.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,403 CLP 1.4M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

17.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,229 CLP 1.2M

$959 BGN 1,669

28.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,110 CLP 1.1M

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-34.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

67.22%

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

Last update for Calama: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Calama

$176 * 29.6%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 8.9% $16

Eating Out

Calama

$114 * 19.1%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 27.9% $32

Accommodation & Living

Calama

$102 17.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 249% $255

Clothing & Footwear

Calama

$77 13%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 16.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Calama

$61 10.3%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 29.7% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calama

$53 * 9%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 124% $66

Getting Around

Calama

$11 * 1.8%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 220% $24

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $327 in Calama 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 53% 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 $31.00 in Calama versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $176 vs $192 – making Calama the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇱 Calama

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:05 3:05 PM

21:05 9:05 PM

6 h ahead of Calama

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

157,575

8,000

💱 Currency

Chilean Peso CLP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 CLP = 10.16 USD

10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CLP – Chilean Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇱 Chilean Peso ($)

Chilean Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 984 CLP (1,000 CLP = 1.02 USD). 1 EUR = 1,107 CLP (10,000 CLP = 9.04 EUR).

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).

USD to CLP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calama Bansko 11,840 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Calama
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

Calama vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $595 in Calama, $956 in Bansko – roughly 61% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $893 per month in Calama 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 Calama, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $595 in Calama and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 61%.

Kindergarten costs $306 per month in Calama and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Calama, where all-in costs run around $595, than in Bansko at $956. In Calama 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 $595 in Calama 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 Calama. 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.