Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hiroshima and Bansko

For one person, living costs are similar in Hiroshima and in Bansko: $963 and $956 a month, rent and utilities included.

Hiroshima
🇯🇵 Japan
$963
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$956
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $963 per month in Hiroshima vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Hiroshima $963
  • Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,548 per month in Hiroshima vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Hiroshima $1,548
  • Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,134 per month in Hiroshima vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Hiroshima $2,134
  • Bansko $1,979

Hiroshima costs about 1% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.86 ¥926
$8.66 BGN 15.06
-32.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$31.49 ¥4,975
$44.94 BGN 78.2
-29.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.11 ¥807
$8.78 BGN 15.28
-41.80%
Cappuccino
$2.75 ¥434
$2.33 BGN 4.05
18.03%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 ¥151
$1.57 BGN 2.74
-38.85%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ¥101
$0.82 BGN 1.43
-21.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.69 ¥425
$1.68 BGN 2.92
60.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.88 ¥613
$1.98 BGN 3.45
95.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.45 ¥228
$1.73 BGN 3.00
-16.18%
White Bread (500g)
$1.55 ¥245
$0.80 BGN 1.40
93.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.80 ¥759
$1.44 BGN 2.51
233.33%
Eggs
$2.06 ¥326
$2.36 BGN 4.10
-12.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.89 ¥773
$9.39 BGN 16.34
-47.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.89 ¥931
$6.41 BGN 11.15
-8.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ¥1,749
$8.48 BGN 14.76
30.54%
Apples (1kg)
$3.29 ¥520
$1.31 BGN 2.28
151.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 ¥307
$1.62 BGN 2.82
19.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.80 ¥600
$1.73 BGN 3.01
119.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.88 ¥613
$1.94 BGN 3.38
100.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.54 ¥244
$0.94 BGN 1.63
63.83%
Onion (1kg)
$3.43 ¥542
$0.76 BGN 1.32
351.32%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.36 ¥215
$0.55 BGN 0.95
147.27%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.81 ¥129
$0.59 BGN 1.02
37.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.96 ¥626
$3.25 BGN 5.66
21.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.84 ¥1,239
$5.20 BGN 9.05
50.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.94 ¥307
$1.09 BGN 1.89
77.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 ¥391
$1.68 BGN 2.92
47.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.92 ¥304
$0.84 BGN 1.45
128.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$33.30 ¥5,261
$27.06 BGN 47.09
23.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.74 ¥591
$1.34 BGN 2.34
179.10%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.25 ¥197
$0.65 BGN 1.14
92.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$21.23 ¥3,354
$10.06 BGN 17.51
111.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 ¥175
$1.48 BGN 2.57
-25.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.9K ¥3.5M
$29.1K BGN 50.7K
-24.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$14.7K ¥2.3M
$20.9K BGN 36.4K
-29.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$136 ¥21.5K
$92.4 BGN 161
47.45%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$24.40 ¥3,855
$14.52 BGN 25.26
68.04%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.36 ¥4,796
$12.32 BGN 21.43
146.43%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$53.9 ¥8,511
$31.70 BGN 55.2
69.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.87 ¥769
$8.53 BGN 14.84
-42.91%
Cinema Ticket
$11.80 ¥1,865
$5.62 BGN 9.78
109.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$155 ¥24.4K
$230 BGN 401
-32.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,376 ¥533.4K
$2,268 BGN 3,947
48.82%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.92 ¥4,410
$30.10 BGN 52.4
-7.24%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.33 ¥4,001
$19.62 BGN 34.13
29.10%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.84 ¥7,558
$45.86 BGN 79.8
4.32%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$62.5 ¥9,878
$47.69 BGN 83.0
31.10%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$239 ¥37.8K
$518 BGN 902
-53.86%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$192 ¥30.4K
$357 BGN 621
-46.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$618 ¥97.7K
$614 BGN 1,069
0.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 ¥79.1K
$569 BGN 990
-12.01%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,001 ¥474.2K
$1,191 BGN 2,073
151.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,413 ¥223.2K
$959 BGN 1,669
47.29%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Hiroshima
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$2,006 ¥316.9K
$1,704 BGN 2,965
17.73%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.21
2.99
-26.09%

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

Last update for Hiroshima: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Hiroshima
$255
Bansko
$192 24.6% $63
Accommodation & Living
Hiroshima
$192
Bansko
$357 85.8% $165
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Hiroshima
$191
Bansko
$119 37.6% $72
Eating Out
Hiroshima
$123
Bansko
$145 18.4% $23
Sport & Entertainment
Hiroshima
$77
Bansko
$43 44.6% $35
Clothing & Footwear
Hiroshima
$74
Bansko
$64 12.4% $9.2
Getting Around
Hiroshima
$51
Bansko
$35 31.3% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $239 in Hiroshima 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 18% higher in Hiroshima, 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 $31.00 in Hiroshima versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $255 in Hiroshima vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇯🇵 Hiroshima
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
00:30 12:30 AM
18:30 6:30 PM
6 h behind Hiroshima
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,200,754
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Hiroshima Bansko 8,870 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Hiroshima
  • 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
Hiroshima vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Hiroshima and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $963 in Hiroshima, $956 in Bansko – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Hiroshima compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,444 per month in Hiroshima and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Hiroshima and Bansko?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Hiroshima and $45.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Hiroshima or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $963 in Hiroshima and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 1%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Hiroshima at $963. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hiroshima it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Hiroshima and Bansko?
It depends on your priorities. Hiroshima has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Bansko to $963 in Hiroshima. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Hiroshima or Bansko safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Hiroshima and Bansko?
If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hiroshima makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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