Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dammam and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $964 a month against $1,226 in Dammam, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Dammam
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Dammam Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Dammam

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,226

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,226 per month in Dammam vs $964 in Bansko, rent included.

Dammam $1,226
Bansko $964

A couple spends around $1,857 per month in Dammam vs $1,471 in Bansko, rent included.

Dammam $1,857
Bansko $1,471

A family of three spends $2,488 per month in Dammam vs $1,978 in Bansko, rent included.

Dammam $2,488
Bansko $1,978

Dammam costs about 27% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dammam and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Dammam 10% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.49 SAR 24.35

$8.34 BGN 14.68

-22.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.23 SAR 147

$45.11 BGN 79.4

-13.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.78 SAR 29.21

$9.14 BGN 16.08

-14.88%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.83 SAR 6.87

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 SAR 6.68

Cappuccino

$3.71 SAR 13.94

$2.31 BGN 4.06

60.61%

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

$0.81 SAR 3.02

$1.57 BGN 2.76

-48.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 SAR 1.04

$0.87 BGN 1.53

-67.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.70 BGN 2.99

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 BGN 3.56

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 SAR 6.45

$1.74 BGN 3.06

-1.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 SAR 3.91

$0.80 BGN 1.40

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 SAR 8.71

$1.47 BGN 2.58

57.82%

Eggs

$2.54 SAR 9.52

$2.24 BGN 3.95

13.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 SAR 25.48

$9.50 BGN 16.73

-28.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.34 SAR 27.55

$6.38 BGN 11.22

15.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 SAR 48.52

$8.48 BGN 14.93

52.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 SAR 8.85

$1.25 BGN 2.20

88.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 SAR 6.01

$1.72 BGN 3.02

-6.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 SAR 6.10

$1.75 BGN 3.08

-7.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.63 SAR 6.11

$1.97 BGN 3.46

-17.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.25 SAR 4.67

$0.99 BGN 1.75

26.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.32 SAR 4.94

$0.72 BGN 1.27

83.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SAR 5.07

$0.59 BGN 1.04

128.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 SAR 2.22

$0.55 BGN 0.97

7.27%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.84 SAR 10.65

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 SAR 7.62

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.26 SAR 27.23

$3.35 BGN 5.90

116.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.02 BGN 8.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 BGN 1.91

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 BGN 2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.04 SAR 3.90

$0.82 BGN 1.44

26.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.52 SAR 152

$26.75 BGN 47.09

51.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 SAR 9.83

$1.30 BGN 2.28

101.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.89 SAR 7.10

$0.61 BGN 1.07

209.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.55 SAR 50.8

$9.97 BGN 17.55

35.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 SAR 2.42

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-56.67%

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

$27.1K SAR 101.8K

$28.9K BGN 51.0K

-6.26%

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

$23.4K SAR 87.7K

$21.2K BGN 37.3K

10.43%

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

$105 SAR 395

$93.8 BGN 165

12.28%

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

$33.70 SAR 126

$14.81 BGN 26.06

127.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.2 SAR 271

$12.13 BGN 21.34

495.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 SAR 354

$32.80 BGN 57.7

187.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.96 SAR 139

$8.57 BGN 15.08

331.27%

Cinema Ticket

$14.61 SAR 54.8

$5.51 BGN 9.70

165.15%

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

$346 SAR 1,299

$228 BGN 402

51.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,665 SAR 28.8K

$2,259 BGN 3,977

239.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.1 SAR 210

$30.12 BGN 53.0

86.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.8 SAR 236

$19.45 BGN 34.24

223.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.0 SAR 315

$46.08 BGN 81.1

82.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.3 SAR 305

$48.97 BGN 86.2

65.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$440 SAR 1,652

$522 BGN 918

-15.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$384 SAR 1,441

$364 BGN 641

5.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$889 SAR 3,337

$629 BGN 1,107

41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 SAR 2,352

$568 BGN 1,000

10.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,788 SAR 6,708

$1,159 BGN 2,041

54.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,073 SAR 4,025

$955 BGN 1,681

12.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,669 BGN 2,938

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.42

2.99

47.83%

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

Last update for Dammam: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dammam

$384 31.4%

Bansko

$364 37.8% 5.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dammam

$211 17.2%

Bansko

$121 12.5% 42.9% $91

Groceries & Markets

Dammam

$198 16.1%

Bansko

$192 19.9% 3.1% $6.2

Clothing & Footwear

Dammam

$128 10.4%

Bansko

$65 6.8% 49.1% $63

Eating Out

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Bansko

$144 15% 16.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Dammam

$124 10.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 64.6% $80

Getting Around

Dammam

$57 4.6%

Bansko

$34 3.6% 39.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $440 in Dammam versus $522 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Dammam versus $45 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $198 in Dammam vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Dammam

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

02:09 2:09 AM

01:09 1:09 AM

1 h behind Dammam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

903,312

8,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dammam Bansko 2,970 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dammam
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

Dammam vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,226 in Dammam, $964 in Bansko – Bansko comes out roughly 21% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,839 per month in Dammam and $1,446 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dammam, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $440 there versus $522 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Dammam and $45 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 $1,226 in Dammam and $964 in Bansko. That makes Bansko about 21% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Dammam at $1,226. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dammam it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Bansko costs $964 versus $1,226 in Dammam. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.