Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hefei and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Hefei: $768 a month against $965 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.

37

Cost of Living Index in Hefei
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Hefei Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Hefei

🇨🇳 China

$768

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $768 per month in Hefei vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

Hefei $768
Bansko $965

A couple spends around $1,225 per month in Hefei vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

Hefei $1,225
Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $1,681 per month in Hefei vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

Hefei $1,681
Bansko $1,998

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

Both Hefei and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Hefei 43% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.58 ¥17.28

$8.74 BGN 15.20

-70.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.44 ¥150

$46.37 BGN 80.7

-51.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.36 ¥29.18

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-51.12%

Cappuccino

$2.75 ¥18.39

$2.27 BGN 3.94

21.15%

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

$0.49 ¥3.26

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-68.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ¥1.80

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-69.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-38.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 ¥13.35

$1.95 BGN 3.39

2.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 ¥10.84

$1.79 BGN 3.11

-9.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 ¥13.75

$0.81 BGN 1.42

154.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.42

$1.51 BGN 2.62

-46.36%

Eggs

$1.92 ¥12.84

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-18.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.10 ¥94.3

$9.55 BGN 16.61

47.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ¥32.76

$6.63 BGN 11.54

-26.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.57 ¥77.3

$8.37 BGN 14.57

38.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 ¥15.45

$1.30 BGN 2.26

77.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.52

$1.68 BGN 2.93

2.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ¥10.95

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-2.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.79

$1.92 BGN 3.34

-16.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ¥5.37

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-14.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 ¥6.26

$0.75 BGN 1.31

25.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ¥5.26

$0.59 BGN 1.02

33.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.58 BGN 1.02

20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 ¥20.59

$3.26 BGN 5.67

-5.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.16 ¥81.3

$5.20 BGN 9.04

133.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 ¥6.21

$1.14 BGN 1.98

-18.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 ¥13.28

$1.74 BGN 3.03

14.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.09

$0.90 BGN 1.57

-65.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.22 ¥302

$26.72 BGN 46.50

69.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.23 ¥8.21

$1.30 BGN 2.26

-5.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 ¥2.20

$0.61 BGN 1.06

-45.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.51 ¥23.48

$10.29 BGN 17.91

-65.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ¥8.91

$1.56 BGN 2.71

-14.74%

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

$19.0K ¥127.2K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-34.71%

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

$16.9K ¥112.9K

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

-20.82%

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

$48.54 ¥325

$92.8 BGN 161

-47.70%

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

$9.54 ¥63.8

$15.05 BGN 26.18

-36.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.08 ¥80.8

$12.19 BGN 21.21

-0.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.66 ¥105

$32.83 BGN 57.1

-52.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.31 ¥102

$8.40 BGN 14.61

82.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ¥42.85

$5.56 BGN 9.67

15.29%

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

$236 ¥1,581

$230 BGN 400

2.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,656 ¥57.9K

$2,295 BGN 3,994

277.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$89.7 ¥600

$30.31 BGN 52.7

195.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.76 ¥219

$19.41 BGN 33.78

68.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.7 ¥419

$45.34 BGN 78.9

38.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.9 ¥648

$48.47 BGN 84.3

99.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$241 ¥1,609

$514 BGN 894

-53.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$179 ¥1,197

$361 BGN 627

-50.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$532 ¥3,558

$630 BGN 1,096

-15.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 ¥2,270

$571 BGN 993

-40.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,573 ¥23.9K

$1,202 BGN 2,091

197.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,975 ¥13.2K

$972 BGN 1,691

103.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,011 ¥6,763

$1,665 BGN 2,898

-39.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.15

2.99

5.35%

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

Last update for Hefei: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hefei

$235 30.6%

Bansko

$194 20.2% 17.1% $40

Accommodation & Living

Hefei

$179 23.3%

Bansko

$361 37.4% 102% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Hefei

$127 16.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 49.1% $62

Eating Out

Hefei

$79 10.3%

Bansko

$146 15.2% 84.9% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hefei

$70 9.1%

Bansko

$120 12.5% 71.1% $50

Getting Around

Hefei

$49 6.4%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 29.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Hefei

$28 3.7%

Bansko

$44 4.6% 54.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $241 in Hefei versus $514 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 65% 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 $22.00 in Hefei versus $46.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Hefei vs $194 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hefei

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

12:59 12:59 PM

5 h behind Hefei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,369,881

8,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 24, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hefei Bansko 8,000 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Hefei
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

Hefei vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $768 in Hefei, $965 in Bansko – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,151 per month in Hefei and $1,447 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Hefei, 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 $22.00 in Hefei and $46.00 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 $768 in Hefei and $965 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 26%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Hefei, where all-in costs run around $768, than in Bansko at $965. In Hefei 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 $768 in Hefei to $965 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 Hefei. 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.