Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gjilan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Gjilan: $774 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

38

Cost of Living Index in Gjilan
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Gjilan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Gjilan

🇽🇰 Kosovo

$774

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $774 per month in Gjilan vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Gjilan $774
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,140 per month in Gjilan vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Gjilan $1,140
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,507 per month in Gjilan vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Gjilan $1,507
Bansko $1,957

Gjilan is about 20% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Gjilan and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Gjilan 42% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.13 €3.69

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-52.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.81 €20.35

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-51.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 €5.15

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-35.96%

Cappuccino

$1.36 €1.21

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-39.29%

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

$1.09 €0.97

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-27.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.88 €0.78

$0.86 BGN 1.51

2.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 €1.48

$1.76 BGN 3.07

-5.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$2.00 BGN 3.51

-34.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-30.17%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$0.81 BGN 1.42

-43.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 €1.15

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-15.13%

Eggs

$1.86 €1.66

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-19.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 €6.97

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-18.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 €5.95

$6.32 BGN 11.06

5.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.67 €11.31

$8.64 BGN 15.12

46.64%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.28 BGN 2.24

22.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-5.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-0.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-12.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.93 BGN 1.63

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 €0.77

$0.76 BGN 1.32

13.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.54 BGN 0.95

55.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 €0.44

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-15.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.41 €3.04

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-0.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$5.14 BGN 9.00

10.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 €0.89

$1.11 BGN 1.94

-9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.13

$1.70 BGN 2.97

-25.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 €0.52

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-34.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.19 €1.96

$1.29 BGN 2.26

69.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.59 €0.52

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-9.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.30 €2.95

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-67.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.28

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-4.67%

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

$22.2K €19.8K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-22.91%

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

$25.6K €22.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

19.54%

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

$107 €95.2

$91.4 BGN 160

16.60%

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

$11.27 €10.06

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-23.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.50 €20.97

$12.07 BGN 21.12

94.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.87 €17.73

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-38.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$4.57 €4.08

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-18.83%

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

$166 €148

$228 BGN 400

-27.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,466 €1,308

$2,311 BGN 4,045

-36.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.41 €37.85

$30.48 BGN 53.3

39.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.57 €28.17

$19.01 BGN 33.26

66.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.2 €56.4

$45.53 BGN 79.7

38.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.9 €71.3

$48.67 BGN 85.2

64.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$278 €248

$521 BGN 913

-46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 €204

$367 BGN 643

-37.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$479 €428

$634 BGN 1,110

-24.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$360 €321

$558 BGN 976

-35.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$911 €813

$1,204 BGN 2,106

-24.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$700 €624

$971 BGN 1,699

-27.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$441 €394

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-73.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

2.99

50.50%

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

Last update for Gjilan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Gjilan

$228 29.3%

Bansko

$367 38% 61% $139

Groceries & Markets

Gjilan

$190 24.3%

Bansko

$193 20% 1.9% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gjilan

$141 18.2%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 16.4% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Gjilan

$98 12.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 33.8% $33

Eating Out

Gjilan

$85 11%

Bansko

$145 15% 70.2% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Gjilan

$29 3.7%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 50.1% $15

Getting Around

Gjilan

$7.5 * 1%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 367% $27

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $278 in Gjilan 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 278% 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 $23.00 in Gjilan versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $193 – making Gjilan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇽🇰 Gjilan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Gjilan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

54,239

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gjilan Bansko 180 km

From you

Gjilan
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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

Gjilan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $774 in Gjilan, $970 in Bansko – roughly 25% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,161 per month in Gjilan 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 Gjilan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $774 in Gjilan and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 25%.

Kindergarten costs $166 per month in Gjilan and $228 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Gjilan, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Bansko at $970. In Gjilan 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 $774 in Gjilan 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 Gjilan. 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.