Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hella and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,722 in Hella, rent and utilities included – about $9,200 less a year. The total is higher in Hella despite lower rent and utilities.

84

Cost of Living Index in Hella
Learn more

Hella Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Hella

🇮🇸 Iceland

$1,722

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,722 per month in Hella vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Hella $1,722
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,928 per month in Hella vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Hella $2,928
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $4,135 per month in Hella vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Hella $4,135
Bansko $1,979

Hella costs about 80% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Hella sits 28% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$31.26 ISK 3,791

$8.66 BGN 15.06

260.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$123 ISK 14.9K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

172.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$27.14 ISK 3,291

$8.78 BGN 15.28

209.11%

Cappuccino

$6.93 ISK 841

$2.33 BGN 4.05

197.42%

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

$3.36 ISK 407

$1.57 BGN 2.74

114.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ISK 373

$0.82 BGN 1.43

274.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.71 ISK 1,663

$1.68 BGN 2.92

716.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.32 ISK 1,495

$1.98 BGN 3.45

522.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ISK 247

$1.73 BGN 3.00

17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$4.26 ISK 516

$0.80 BGN 1.40

432.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.58 ISK 434

$1.44 BGN 2.51

148.61%

Eggs

$6.99 ISK 848

$2.36 BGN 4.10

196.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.00 ISK 2,668

$9.39 BGN 16.34

134.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$24.51 ISK 2,973

$6.41 BGN 11.15

282.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.04 ISK 4,978

$8.48 BGN 14.76

383.96%

Apples (1kg)

$3.35 ISK 406

$1.31 BGN 2.28

155.73%

Banana (1kg)

$2.86 ISK 347

$1.62 BGN 2.82

76.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 ISK 379

$1.73 BGN 3.01

80.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 ISK 803

$1.94 BGN 3.38

241.24%

Potato (1kg)

$3.81 ISK 463

$0.94 BGN 1.63

305.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 ISK 208

$0.76 BGN 1.32

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.78 ISK 458

$0.55 BGN 0.95

587.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ISK 215

$0.59 BGN 1.02

200.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.79 ISK 1,672

$3.25 BGN 5.66

324.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$23.61 ISK 2,863

$5.20 BGN 9.05

354.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.71 ISK 449

$1.09 BGN 1.89

240.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.50 ISK 425

$1.68 BGN 2.92

108.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 ISK 802

$1.34 BGN 2.34

393.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.76 ISK 335

$0.65 BGN 1.14

324.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$81.2 ISK 9,844

$10.06 BGN 17.51

706.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 ISK 253

$1.48 BGN 2.57

41.22%

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

$51.2K ISK 6.2M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

75.82%

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

$54.1K ISK 6.6M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

158.70%

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

$95.2 ISK 11.5K

$92.4 BGN 161

2.96%

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

$33.16 ISK 4,022

$14.52 BGN 25.26

128.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$87.7 ISK 10.6K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

612.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$19.67 ISK 2,386

$5.62 BGN 9.78

250.00%

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

$1,198 ISK 145.2K

$230 BGN 401

419.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.7K ISK 3.1M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

1030.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$147 ISK 17.8K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

387.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.0 ISK 8,130

$19.62 BGN 34.13

241.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$183 ISK 22.2K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

298.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$253 ISK 30.7K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

430.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.81

2.99

194.65%

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

Last update for Hella: 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

Hella

$620 36%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 69.1% $429

Eating Out

Hella

$534 31%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 72.7% $388

Clothing & Footwear

Hella

$292 17%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 77.9% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hella

$216 12.6%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 44.8% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Hella

$39 * 2.3%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 9.2% $3.6

Getting Around

Hella

$20 * 1.2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 71.4% $15

Accommodation & Living

Hella

- * 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 $123 in Hella versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $620 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇸 Hella

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

02:32 2:32 AM

05:32 5:32 AM

3 h ahead of Hella

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

900

8,000

💱 Currency

Icelandic Króna ISK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD

1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ISK – Icelandic Króna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇸 Icelandic Króna (kr)

Icelandic Króna exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 121 ISK (1,000 ISK = 8.24 USD). 1 EUR = 136 ISK (1,000 ISK = 7.33 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to ISK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Hella Bansko 3,710 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Hella
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

Hella vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,722 in Hella, $956 in Bansko – roughly 80% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,583 per month in Hella 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 $1,722 in Hella and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 80%.

Kindergarten costs $1,198 per month in Hella and $230 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 Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Hella at $1,722. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hella 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,722 in Hella. 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 Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hella makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.