Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chaves and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $965 a month against $1,064 in Chaves, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Chaves
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Chaves Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Chaves

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,064

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,064 per month in Chaves vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

Chaves $1,064
Bansko $965

A couple spends around $1,607 per month in Chaves vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

Chaves $1,607
Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $2,150 per month in Chaves vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

Chaves $2,150
Bansko $1,998

Chaves costs about 10% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chaves and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Chaves 21% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.99 €7.10

$8.74 BGN 15.20

-8.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.32 €19.86

$46.37 BGN 80.7

-51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 €6.92

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-12.78%

Cappuccino

$1.54 €1.37

$2.27 BGN 3.94

-32.16%

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

$1.49 €1.33

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-5.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-35.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.73 BGN 3.01

31.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.95 BGN 3.39

40.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 €0.90

$1.79 BGN 3.11

-43.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.81 BGN 1.42

40.74%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$1.51 BGN 2.62

-25.17%

Eggs

$3.05 €2.71

$2.35 BGN 4.09

29.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.23 €5.54

$9.55 BGN 16.61

-34.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.53 €5.81

$6.63 BGN 11.54

-1.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.26 €9.12

$8.37 BGN 14.57

22.58%

Apples (1kg)

$1.14 €1.01

$1.30 BGN 2.26

-12.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.68 BGN 2.93

-31.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 €0.98

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-33.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.97

$1.92 BGN 3.34

-42.71%

Potato (1kg)

$2.02 €1.80

$0.94 BGN 1.63

114.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.75 BGN 1.31

50.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.59 BGN 1.02

138.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 €0.70

$0.58 BGN 1.02

36.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 €5.31

$3.26 BGN 5.67

83.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.03 €3.58

$5.20 BGN 9.04

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.14 BGN 1.98

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-33.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 €0.77

$0.90 BGN 1.57

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.67 €24.61

$26.72 BGN 46.50

3.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.30 BGN 2.26

205.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 €0.61

$0.61 BGN 1.06

11.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.78 €17.60

$10.29 BGN 17.91

92.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.73

$1.56 BGN 2.71

25.00%

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

$34.1K €30.4K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

17.10%

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

$37.6K €33.4K

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

76.26%

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

$134 €119

$92.8 BGN 161

43.97%

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

$17.81 €15.84

$15.05 BGN 26.18

18.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.69 €28.19

$12.19 BGN 21.21

159.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.25 €22.46

$32.83 BGN 57.1

-23.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.49 €4.88

$8.40 BGN 14.61

-34.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.14 €6.35

$5.56 BGN 9.67

28.42%

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

$223 €199

$230 BGN 400

-2.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,620 €3,220

$2,295 BGN 3,994

57.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.9 €63.9

$30.31 BGN 52.7

137.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.56 €20.07

$19.41 BGN 33.78

16.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.0 €56.1

$45.34 BGN 78.9

38.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.2 €80.3

$48.47 BGN 84.3

86.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 €425

$514 BGN 894

-7.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 €336

$361 BGN 627

4.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 €846

$630 BGN 1,096

50.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$736 €655

$571 BGN 993

29.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,870 €1,663

$1,202 BGN 2,091

55.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,472 €1,310

$972 BGN 1,691

51.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,015 €903

$1,665 BGN 2,898

-39.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

0.33%

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

Last update for Chaves: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chaves

$378 35.5%

Bansko

$361 37.4% 4.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chaves

$183 17.2%

Bansko

$120 12.5% 34.4% $63

Groceries & Markets

Chaves

$182 17.2%

Bansko

$194 20.2% 6.6% $12

Eating Out

Chaves

$131 12.3%

Bansko

$146 15.2% 11.8% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chaves

$111 10.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 42.1% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chaves

$40 3.7%

Bansko

$44 4.6% 11.2% $4.4

Getting Around

Chaves

$39 3.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 9.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $478 in Chaves versus $514 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 64% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chaves versus $46.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $182 vs $194 – making Chaves the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Chaves

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

13:11 1:11 PM

2 h ahead of Chaves

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,592

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chaves Bansko 2,550 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Chaves
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

Chaves vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,064 in Chaves, $965 in Bansko – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,596 per month in Chaves and $1,447 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 $22.00 in Chaves and $46.00 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 $1,064 in Chaves and $965 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Chaves at $1,064. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chaves 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 $965 in Bansko to $1,064 in Chaves. 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, Chaves makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.