Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cusco and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Cusco: $688 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Cusco
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Cusco Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Cusco

🇵🇪 Peru

$688

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $688 per month in Cusco vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Cusco $688
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,096 per month in Cusco vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Cusco $1,096
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,505 per month in Cusco vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Cusco $1,505
Bansko $1,957

Cusco is about 29% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Cusco and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Cusco 49% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.99 PEN 6.85

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-77.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.55 PEN 70.7

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-55.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.70 PEN 23.04

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-25.64%

Cappuccino

$2.11 PEN 7.24

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-5.80%

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

$0.78 PEN 2.69

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-48.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 PEN 1.13

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-61.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 PEN 5.92

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 PEN 14.90

$2.00 BGN 3.51

116.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 PEN 4.27

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-30.73%

White Bread (500g)

$2.32 PEN 7.97

$0.81 BGN 1.42

186.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 PEN 4.43

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-15.13%

Eggs

$3.63 PEN 12.48

$2.30 BGN 4.02

57.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.69 PEN 16.14

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-51.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.43 PEN 15.24

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-29.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 PEN 25.35

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-14.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 PEN 8.78

$1.28 BGN 2.24

99.22%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 PEN 2.63

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-54.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 PEN 5.04

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-13.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.85 PEN 2.94

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-55.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 PEN 3.52

$0.93 BGN 1.63

9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 PEN 3.80

$0.76 BGN 1.32

44.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 PEN 1.67

$0.54 BGN 0.95

-9.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 PEN 2.58

$0.58 BGN 1.02

29.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

Wine (Bottle)

$5.93 PEN 20.41

$5.14 BGN 9.00

15.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 PEN 6.38

$1.11 BGN 1.94

66.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.12 PEN 14.16

$1.70 BGN 2.97

142.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 PEN 1.04

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-65.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.72 PEN 5.91

$1.29 BGN 2.26

33.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.93 PEN 6.65

$0.65 BGN 1.14

196.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.82 PEN 9.69

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-72.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 PEN 5.42

$1.50 BGN 2.63

4.67%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

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

$28.9K PEN 99.5K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

34.89%

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

$29.31 PEN 101

$91.4 BGN 160

-67.95%

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

$14.31 PEN 49.22

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-2.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$44.13 PEN 152

$12.07 BGN 21.12

265.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.51 PEN 98.1

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-11.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$4.26 PEN 14.64

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-24.33%

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

$228 BGN 400

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.39 PEN 129

$30.48 BGN 53.3

22.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 PEN 115

$19.01 BGN 33.26

75.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.4 PEN 187

$45.53 BGN 79.7

19.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.2 PEN 248

$48.67 BGN 85.2

48.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$218 PEN 748

$521 BGN 913

-58.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 PEN 657

$367 BGN 643

-48.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 PEN 1,849

$634 BGN 1,110

-15.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$416 PEN 1,431

$558 BGN 976

-25.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,249 PEN 11.2K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

169.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,823 PEN 6,270

$971 BGN 1,699

87.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$433 PEN 1,490

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-74.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Cusco: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cusco

$191 27.8%

Bansko

$367 38% 92.5% $176

Groceries & Markets

Cusco

$187 27.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 3.5% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Cusco

$89 12.9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 27.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cusco

$88 12.8%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 34.7% $30

Eating Out

Cusco

$83 12.1%

Bansko

$145 15% 75.2% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Cusco

$37 5.4%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 17.6% $6.5

Getting Around

Cusco

$13 * 1.8%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 177% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $218 in Cusco versus $521 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 286% 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 $21.00 in Cusco versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $187 vs $193 – making Cusco the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇪 Cusco

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

07:50 7:50 AM

8 h ahead of Cusco

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

428,450

8,000

💱 Currency

Peruvian Sol PEN S/

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PEN = 0.291 USD

1 PEN = 0.259 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PEN – Peruvian Sol Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇪 Peruvian Sol (S/)

Peruvian Sol exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.44 PEN (1 PEN = 0.291 USD). 1 EUR = 3.86 PEN (1 PEN = 0.259 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to PEN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cusco Bansko 11,450 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Cusco
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

Cusco vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $688 in Cusco, $970 in Bansko – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,032 per month in Cusco and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cusco, 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 $21.00 in Cusco and $47.00 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 $688 in Cusco and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 41%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cusco, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Bansko at $970. In Cusco 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 $688 in Cusco to $970 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 Cusco. 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.