Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Havana and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Havana: $860 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Havana
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Havana Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Havana

🇨🇺 Cuba

$860

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $860 per month in Havana vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Havana $860
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,388 per month in Havana vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Havana $1,388
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,916 per month in Havana vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Havana $1,916
Bansko $1,979

Havana is about 10% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Havana and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Havana 36% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.59 CUP 86.3

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-58.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.63 CUP 663

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-38.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.88 CUP 117

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-44.42%

Cappuccino

$1.06 CUP 25.42

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-54.51%

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

$1.51 CUP 36.33

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-3.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.99 CUP 23.80

$0.82 BGN 1.43

20.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.24 CUP 29.66

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-26.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.10

$1.98 BGN 3.45

3.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.68 CUP 64.3

$1.73 BGN 3.00

54.91%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 CUP 29.26

$0.80 BGN 1.40

52.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 CUP 42.35

$1.44 BGN 2.51

22.22%

Eggs

$3.50 CUP 83.9

$2.36 BGN 4.10

48.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.52 CUP 108

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-51.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.66 CUP 112

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-27.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.56 CUP 205

$8.48 BGN 14.76

0.94%

Apples (1kg)

$6.20 CUP 149

$1.31 BGN 2.28

373.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.02 CUP 24.55

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-37.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.83 CUP 92.0

$1.73 BGN 3.01

121.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 CUP 53.8

$1.94 BGN 3.38

15.46%

Potato (1kg)

$2.93 CUP 70.2

$0.94 BGN 1.63

211.70%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 CUP 65.7

$0.76 BGN 1.32

260.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 CUP 17.33

$0.55 BGN 0.95

30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 CUP 13.60

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 CUP 38.72

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-50.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.37 CUP 129

$5.20 BGN 9.05

3.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CUP 42.38

$1.09 BGN 1.89

62.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 CUP 49.30

$1.68 BGN 2.92

22.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 CUP 15.17

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-25.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.13 CUP 531

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-18.22%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CUP 63.1

$1.34 BGN 2.34

96.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 CUP 7.98

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-49.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.63 CUP 471

$10.06 BGN 17.51

95.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 CUP 30.50

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-14.19%

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

$60.4K CUP 1.5M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

107.33%

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

$59.1K CUP 1.4M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

182.55%

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

$46.62 CUP 1,119

$92.4 BGN 161

-49.56%

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

$39.24 CUP 942

$14.52 BGN 25.26

170.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$89.3 CUP 2,144

$12.32 BGN 21.43

624.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.35 CUP 392

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-48.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.84 CUP 308

$8.53 BGN 14.84

50.53%

Cinema Ticket

$0.83 CUP 19.99

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-85.23%

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

$156 CUP 3,752

$230 BGN 401

-32.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K CUP 298.9K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

449.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.2 CUP 1,253

$30.10 BGN 52.4

73.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.71 CUP 1,001

$19.62 BGN 34.13

112.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.0 CUP 1,919

$45.86 BGN 79.8

74.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.6 CUP 1,623

$47.69 BGN 83.0

41.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$246 CUP 5,911

$518 BGN 902

-52.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 CUP 5,245

$357 BGN 621

-38.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$872 CUP 20.9K

$614 BGN 1,069

42.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 CUP 12.2K

$569 BGN 990

-10.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$314 CUP 7,545

$1,191 BGN 2,073

-73.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$407 CUP 9,762

$959 BGN 1,669

-57.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$29.60 CUP 710

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-98.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.1

2.99

204.35%

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

Last update for Havana: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Havana

$234 27.2%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 18% $42

Accommodation & Living

Havana

$219 25.4%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 63.3% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Havana

$175 20.4%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 31.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Havana

$109 12.6%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 40.7% $44

Eating Out

Havana

$76 8.9%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 90.4% $69

Getting Around

Havana

$29 3.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 21% $6.1

Sport & Entertainment

Havana

$18 2.1%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 138% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $246 in Havana 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 5656% 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 $28.00 in Havana versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Havana vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇺 Havana

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

12:31 12:31 PM

19:31 7:31 PM

7 h ahead of Havana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,141,993 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Cuban Peso CUP $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 CUP = 4.17 USD

100 CUP = 3.71 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CUP – Cuban Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇺 Cuban Peso ($)

Cuban Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 24 CUP (100 CUP = 4.17 USD). 1 EUR = 26.98 CUP (100 CUP = 3.71 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CUP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Havana Bansko 9,530 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Havana
Bansko

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Havana vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $860 in Havana, $956 in Bansko – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,289 per month in Havana 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 Havana, 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 $28.00 in Havana 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 $860 in Havana and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Havana, where all-in costs run around $860, than in Bansko at $956. In Havana 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 $860 in Havana 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 Havana. 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.