Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiayi and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,067 in Chiayi, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. The total is higher in Chiayi despite lower rent and utilities.

52

Cost of Living Index in Chiayi
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Chiayi Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Chiayi

🇹🇼 Taiwan

$1,067

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,067 per month in Chiayi vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Chiayi $1,067
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,503 per month in Chiayi vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Chiayi $1,503
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,940 per month in Chiayi vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Chiayi $1,940
Bansko $1,979

Chiayi costs about 12% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.83 NT$157

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-44.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.84 NT$1,519

$44.94 BGN 78.2

4.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.70 NT$185

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-35.08%

Cappuccino

$3.36 NT$109

$2.33 BGN 4.05

44.21%

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

$0.88 NT$28.58

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-43.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 NT$21.68

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-18.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.85 NT$92.4

$1.68 BGN 2.92

69.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 NT$123

$1.98 BGN 3.45

91.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 NT$101

$1.73 BGN 3.00

79.19%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 NT$66.8

$0.80 BGN 1.40

157.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.04 NT$98.6

$1.44 BGN 2.51

111.11%

Eggs

$2.66 NT$86.3

$2.36 BGN 4.10

12.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.77 NT$641

$9.39 BGN 16.34

110.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 NT$316

$6.41 BGN 11.15

52.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.98 NT$680

$8.48 BGN 14.76

147.41%

Apples (1kg)

$4.87 NT$158

$1.31 BGN 2.28

271.76%

Banana (1kg)

$3.22 NT$104

$1.62 BGN 2.82

98.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 NT$97.0

$1.73 BGN 3.01

72.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.55 NT$148

$1.94 BGN 3.38

134.54%

Potato (1kg)

$2.80 NT$90.9

$0.94 BGN 1.63

197.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 NT$76.3

$0.76 BGN 1.32

209.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 NT$54.3

$0.55 BGN 0.95

205.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 NT$37.04

$0.59 BGN 1.02

93.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.01 NT$130

$3.25 BGN 5.66

23.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.66 NT$151

$5.20 BGN 9.05

-10.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 NT$53.7

$1.09 BGN 1.89

51.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 NT$70.8

$1.68 BGN 2.92

29.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.43 NT$403

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-54.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 NT$85.5

$1.34 BGN 2.34

97.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.46 NT$14.94

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-29.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.66 NT$313

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-3.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 NT$34.43

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-28.38%

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

$32.9K NT$1.1M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

12.73%

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

$24.5K NT$795.8K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

17.30%

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

$66.7 NT$2,164

$92.4 BGN 161

-27.79%

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

$17.52 NT$568

$14.52 BGN 25.26

20.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.93 NT$873

$12.32 BGN 21.43

118.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.82 NT$1,032

$31.70 BGN 55.2

0.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$9.84 NT$319

$5.62 BGN 9.78

75.09%

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

$660 NT$21.4K

$230 BGN 401

186.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K NT$543.4K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

638.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.3 NT$2,020

$30.10 BGN 52.4

106.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.44 NT$1,279

$19.62 BGN 34.13

101.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.2 NT$2,763

$45.86 BGN 79.8

85.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$104 NT$3,383

$47.69 BGN 83.0

118.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$369 NT$12.0K

$518 BGN 902

-28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 NT$8,194

$357 BGN 621

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,179 NT$103.1K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

166.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 NT$61.9K

$959 BGN 1,669

99.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,110 NT$68.4K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

23.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.4

2.99

-19.73%

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

Last update for Chiayi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chiayi

$379 35.5%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 49.4% $187

Accommodation & Living

Chiayi

$253 23.7%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 41.3% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Chiayi

$131 12.3%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 50.8% $67

Eating Out

Chiayi

$124 11.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 17.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiayi

$111 10.4%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 7.3% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiayi

$51 4.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 16.6% $8.5

Getting Around

Chiayi

$17 * 1.6%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 102% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $369 in Chiayi 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 24% higher in Chiayi, 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 $47.00 in Chiayi versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $379 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇼 Chiayi

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

13:27 1:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

5 h behind Chiayi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,874

8,000

💱 Currency

New Taiwan Dollar TWD NT$

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TWD = 3.08 USD

100 TWD = 2.74 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TWD – New Taiwan Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇼 New Taiwan Dollar (NT$)

New Taiwan Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 32.43 TWD (100 TWD = 3.08 USD). 1 EUR = 36.46 TWD (100 TWD = 2.74 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to TWD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiayi Bansko 8,840 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiayi
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

Chiayi vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,067 in Chiayi, $956 in Bansko – roughly 12% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,601 per month in Chiayi 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 $47.00 in Chiayi 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 $1,067 in Chiayi and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 12%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Chiayi at $1,067. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiayi 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 $1,067 in Chiayi. 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, Chiayi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.