Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Jeddah and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,394 in Jeddah, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Jeddah
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Jeddah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Jeddah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,394

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,394 per month in Jeddah vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Jeddah $1,394
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $2,161 per month in Jeddah vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Jeddah $2,161
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $2,928 per month in Jeddah vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Jeddah $2,928
Bansko $1,989

Jeddah costs about 44% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Jeddah sits 3% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.69 SAR 25.10

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-24.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.2 SAR 286

$45.43 BGN 79.1

67.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.56 SAR 35.88

$8.92 BGN 15.52

7.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 SAR 9.60

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 SAR 9.75

Cappuccino

$3.80 SAR 14.26

$2.33 BGN 4.06

63.09%

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

$1.03 SAR 3.87

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-30.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 SAR 0.94

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-69.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 SAR 6.53

$1.72 BGN 3.00

1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 SAR 4.78

$0.86 BGN 1.49

47.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.29 SAR 8.59

$1.46 BGN 2.55

56.85%

Eggs

$2.47 SAR 9.26

$2.33 BGN 4.06

6.01%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.44 SAR 24.19

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-32.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.32 SAR 31.23

$6.30 BGN 10.96

32.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.26 SAR 49.79

$8.64 BGN 15.04

53.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 SAR 7.80

$1.32 BGN 2.29

57.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 SAR 6.51

$1.65 BGN 2.86

4.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 SAR 5.84

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 SAR 6.24

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-14.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 SAR 4.20

$0.95 BGN 1.66

17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.24 SAR 4.65

$0.72 BGN 1.26

72.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 SAR 4.03

$0.55 BGN 0.96

94.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 SAR 1.88

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-15.25%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.18 SAR 15.70

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 SAR 6.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.59 SAR 9.73

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 SAR 24.58

$3.33 BGN 5.79

96.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 SAR 3.38

$0.89 BGN 1.55

1.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.6 SAR 205

$27.08 BGN 47.11

101.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 SAR 12.09

$1.64 BGN 2.85

96.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 SAR 6.30

$0.91 BGN 1.59

84.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.37 SAR 53.9

$10.00 BGN 17.39

43.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 SAR 2.42

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-57.33%

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

$37.7K SAR 141.6K

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

32.10%

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

$22.0K SAR 82.7K

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

3.79%

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

$88.3 SAR 331

$92.5 BGN 161

-4.57%

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

$38.71 SAR 145

$14.59 BGN 25.39

165.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.5 SAR 257

$12.13 BGN 21.11

464.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.9 SAR 262

$31.84 BGN 55.4

119.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$37.61 SAR 141

$8.46 BGN 14.72

344.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.72 SAR 43.98

$5.51 BGN 9.59

112.70%

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

$781 SAR 2,930

$227 BGN 395

243.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.1K SAR 56.8K

$2,311 BGN 4,021

555.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 SAR 280

$30.56 BGN 53.2

143.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.2 SAR 211

$18.95 BGN 32.97

196.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 SAR 372

$45.80 BGN 79.7

116.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.3 SAR 347

$48.28 BGN 84.0

91.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$801 SAR 3,008

$510 BGN 887

57.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 SAR 2,087

$364 BGN 634

52.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,329 SAR 4,987

$624 BGN 1,085

113.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$864 SAR 3,244

$566 BGN 985

52.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,683 SAR 6,317

$1,166 BGN 2,028

44.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,119 SAR 4,201

$969 BGN 1,686

15.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,650 SAR 6,191

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-1.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

2.99

80.27%

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

Last update for Jeddah: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Jeddah

$556 39.9%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 34.5% $192

Groceries & Markets

Jeddah

$201 14.5%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 4.2% $8.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Jeddah

$196 14%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 39% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Jeddah

$145 10.4%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 55.4% $80

Eating Out

Jeddah

$133 9.5%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 11% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Jeddah

$93 6.7%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 54.1% $50

Getting Around

Jeddah

$70 5%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 47.3% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $801 in Jeddah versus $510 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Jeddah versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $201 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇦 Jeddah

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

01:35 1:35 AM

00:35 12:35 AM

1 h behind Jeddah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,430,697

8,000

💱 Currency

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SAR – Saudi Riyal Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇦 Saudi Riyal (ر.س)

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.21 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to SAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Jeddah Bansko 2,690 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Jeddah
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

Jeddah vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,394 in Jeddah, $968 in Bansko – Bansko comes out roughly 31% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,091 per month in Jeddah and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bansko, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $510 there versus $801 in Jeddah.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $76 in Jeddah and $45 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 $1,394 in Jeddah and $968 in Bansko. That makes Bansko about 31% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $968, than in Jeddah at $1,394. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Jeddah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bansko – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

For expats, Bansko is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 31% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.