Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hawassa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $838 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

40

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$838

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $838 per month in Hawassa vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Hawassa $838
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,202 per month in Hawassa vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Hawassa $1,202
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,566 per month in Hawassa vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Hawassa $1,566
Bansko $1,989

Hawassa is about 13% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Hawassa and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Hawassa 38% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.88 ETB 625

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-56.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.15 ETB 6,777

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-7.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.60 ETB 1,061

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-26.01%

Cappuccino

$0.88 ETB 142

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-62.23%

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

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-57.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 ETB 109

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-18.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.78 ETB 125

$1.75 BGN 3.05

-55.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 ETB 355

$2.01 BGN 3.49

9.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 ETB 169

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-38.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.17 ETB 189

$0.86 BGN 1.49

36.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 ETB 165

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-29.45%

Eggs

$1.58 ETB 254

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-32.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 ETB 1,186

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-22.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.02 ETB 1,612

$6.30 BGN 10.96

59.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.27 ETB 1,491

$8.64 BGN 15.04

7.29%

Apples (1kg)

$5.23 ETB 841

$1.32 BGN 2.29

296.21%

Banana (1kg)

$0.63 ETB 101

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-61.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 ETB 361

$1.74 BGN 3.02

28.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 ETB 112

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-64.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 ETB 75.0

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-50.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ETB 175

$0.72 BGN 1.26

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ETB 106

$0.55 BGN 0.96

20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 ETB 91.7

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-3.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.91 ETB 1,272

$3.33 BGN 5.79

137.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.65 ETB 908

$5.08 BGN 8.84

11.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 ETB 108

$1.12 BGN 1.95

-40.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 ETB 197

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-29.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ETB 218

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-17.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.27 ETB 43.39

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-70.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 ETB 325

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-79.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 ETB 153

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-36.67%

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

$54.3K ETB 8.7M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

90.06%

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

$55.5K ETB 8.9M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

161.54%

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

$205 ETB 33.0K

$92.5 BGN 161

121.73%

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

$7.48 ETB 1,202

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-48.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$216 ETB 34.8K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

1684.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$3.81 ETB 613

$5.51 BGN 9.59

-30.85%

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

$616 ETB 99.1K

$227 BGN 395

171.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.4K ETB 4.9M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

1216.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.38 ETB 5,368

$30.56 BGN 53.2

9.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$69.6 ETB 11.2K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

267.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.4 ETB 12.4K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

69.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 ETB 13.4K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

72.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$500 ETB 80.3K

$969 BGN 1,686

-48.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

2.99

518.73%

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

Last update for Hawassa: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hawassa

$429 51.2%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 72.2% $310

Groceries & Markets

Hawassa

$205 24.5%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 5.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Hawassa

$119 14.2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 45.6% $54

Eating Out

Hawassa

$75 8.9%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 96.6% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Hawassa

$7.6 * 0.9%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 463% $35

Getting Around

Hawassa

$2.7 * 0.3%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 1259% $34

Accommodation & Living

Hawassa

- * 0%

Bansko

$364 37.6%

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 $42 in Hawassa versus $45 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Hawassa vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

07:41 7:41 AM

06:41 6:41 AM

1 h behind Hawassa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

160,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ETB – Ethiopian Birr Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇹 Ethiopian Birr (Br)

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 181 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to ETB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hawassa Bansko 4,140 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Hawassa
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

Hawassa vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $838 in Hawassa, $968 in Bansko – Hawassa comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,258 per month in Hawassa and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $838 in Hawassa and $968 in Bansko. That makes Hawassa about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $616 per month in Hawassa and $227 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $838 in Hawassa and $968 in Bansko, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $838 in Hawassa to $968 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.