Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Elmina and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Elmina: $668 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

33

Cost of Living Index in Elmina
Learn more

Elmina Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Elmina

🇬🇭 Ghana

$668

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $668 per month in Elmina vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Elmina $668
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,125 per month in Elmina vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Elmina $1,125
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,582 per month in Elmina vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Elmina $1,582
Bansko $1,979

Elmina is about 30% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Elmina and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Elmina 51% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.82 GHS 90.8

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-9.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.8 GHS 590

$44.94 BGN 78.6

13.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.26 GHS 119

$8.78 BGN 15.36

16.86%

Cappuccino

$4.46 GHS 51.7

$2.33 BGN 4.07

91.42%

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

$1.53 GHS 17.80

$1.57 BGN 2.76

-2.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.44 GHS 5.11

$0.82 BGN 1.44

-46.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.81 GHS 20.98

$1.68 BGN 2.93

7.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 GHS 25.12

$1.98 BGN 3.47

9.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.67 GHS 42.57

$1.73 BGN 3.02

112.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.67 GHS 19.32

$0.80 BGN 1.40

108.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.06 GHS 35.54

$1.44 BGN 2.53

112.50%

Eggs

$2.68 GHS 31.13

$2.36 BGN 4.13

13.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.03 GHS 140

$9.39 BGN 16.43

28.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.08 GHS 82.1

$6.41 BGN 11.21

10.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.62 GHS 112

$8.48 BGN 14.84

13.44%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 GHS 41.82

$1.31 BGN 2.29

175.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 GHS 16.28

$1.62 BGN 2.84

-13.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 GHS 20.53

$1.73 BGN 3.03

2.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 GHS 41.34

$1.94 BGN 3.40

83.51%

Potato (1kg)

$2.69 GHS 31.21

$0.94 BGN 1.64

186.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.65 GHS 30.74

$0.76 BGN 1.33

248.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 GHS 8.32

$0.55 BGN 0.96

30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 GHS 7.01

$0.59 BGN 1.03

1.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 GHS 29.12

$3.25 BGN 5.69

-22.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.06 GHS 81.9

$5.20 BGN 9.10

35.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 GHS 14.07

$1.09 BGN 1.90

11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 GHS 27.07

$1.68 BGN 2.94

38.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.46

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.36

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 GHS 20.24

$1.34 BGN 2.35

29.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.61

$0.65 BGN 1.14

93.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.30 GHS 49.87

$10.06 BGN 17.61

-57.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 GHS 15.54

$1.48 BGN 2.59

-9.46%

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

$7,913 GHS 91.8K

$29.1K BGN 51.0K

-72.85%

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

$9,662 GHS 112.1K

$20.9K BGN 36.6K

-53.82%

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

$73.7 GHS 855

$92.4 BGN 162

-20.26%

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

$19.07 GHS 221

$14.52 BGN 25.40

31.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.25 GHS 490

$12.32 BGN 21.55

242.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.5

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.92

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 GHS 147

$5.62 BGN 9.84

125.27%

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

$470 GHS 5,450

$230 BGN 403

103.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.6K GHS 216.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,970

720.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.18 GHS 164

$30.10 BGN 52.7

-52.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.59 GHS 216

$19.62 BGN 34.33

-5.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$36.74 GHS 426

$45.86 BGN 80.3

-19.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.0 GHS 603

$47.69 BGN 83.5

9.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 907

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 625

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,075

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 996

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,085

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,679

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,982

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.75

2.99

794.65%

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

Last update for Elmina: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Elmina

$276 41.4%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 30.6% $85

Eating Out

Elmina

$168 25.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 13.5% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Elmina

$135 20.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 11.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Elmina

$55 8.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 17.9% $9.8

Sport & Entertainment

Elmina

$25 * 3.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 69.7% $18

Getting Around

Elmina

$8 * 1.2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 336% $27

Accommodation & Living

Elmina

- * 0%

Bansko

$357 37.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51.0 in Elmina versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $276 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Elmina

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

14:23 2:23 PM

3 h ahead of Elmina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

34,403

8,000

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.62 USD

100 GHS = 7.69 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 11.6 GHS (100 GHS = 8.62 USD). 1 EUR = 13.01 GHS (100 GHS = 7.69 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Elmina Bansko 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Elmina
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

Elmina vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $668 in Elmina, $956 in Bansko – roughly 43% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,001 per month in Elmina and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $668 in Elmina and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 43%.

Kindergarten costs $470 per month in Elmina and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Elmina, where all-in costs run around $668, than in Bansko at $956. In Elmina 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 $668 in Elmina 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 Elmina. 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.