Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kabul and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Kabul: $511 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Kabul
Learn more

Kabul Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Kabul

🇦🇫 Afghanistan

$511

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $511 per month in Kabul vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Kabul $511
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $684 per month in Kabul vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Kabul $684
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $857 per month in Kabul vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Kabul $857
Bansko $1,957

Kabul is about 47% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kabul and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Kabul 62% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.70 ؋175

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-68.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.89 ؋511

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-83.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.51 ؋292

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-49.94%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 ؋148

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 ؋122

Cappuccino

$1.09 ؋70.5

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-51.34%

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

$0.45 ؋28.95

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-70.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.17 ؋10.83

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-80.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 ؋52.4

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-54.75%

White Bread (500g)

$0.25 ؋16.23

$0.81 BGN 1.42

-69.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 ؋121

$1.52 BGN 2.66

22.37%

Eggs

$1.54 ؋99.7

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-33.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.46 ؋289

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-53.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.03 ؋261

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-36.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.71 ؋434

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-22.34%

Apples (1kg)

$0.70 ؋45.11

$1.28 BGN 2.24

-45.31%

Banana (1kg)

$0.89 ؋57.4

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-47.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.95 ؋61.5

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-44.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 ؋35.47

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-70.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ؋39.34

$0.93 BGN 1.63

-34.41%

Onion (1kg)

$0.51 ؋32.74

$0.76 BGN 1.32

-32.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 ؋19.48

$0.54 BGN 0.95

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 ؋23.89

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-36.21%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.81 ؋117

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 ؋52.0

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ؋65.8

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 ؋157

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-29.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.13 ؋8.60

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-85.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.08 ؋1,366

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-21.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 ؋138

$1.29 BGN 2.26

64.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 ؋29.02

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-30.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.77 ؋179

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-72.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 ؋69.9

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-28.00%

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

$8,341 ؋540.2K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-71.05%

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

$33.8K ؋2.2M

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

57.42%

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

$42.09 ؋2,726

$91.4 BGN 160

-53.97%

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

$13.12 ؋850

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-10.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$95.3 ؋6,174

$12.07 BGN 21.12

689.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.15 ؋722

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-65.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.11 ؋266

$8.60 BGN 15.05

-52.21%

Cinema Ticket

$2.34 ؋152

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-58.44%

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

$20.64 ؋1,337

$228 BGN 400

-90.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,045 ؋67.7K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

-54.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.71 ؋694

$30.48 BGN 53.3

-64.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.93 ؋1,032

$19.01 BGN 33.26

-16.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$57.8 ؋3,741

$45.53 BGN 79.7

26.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.51 ؋1,652

$48.67 BGN 85.2

-47.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$125 ؋8,092

$521 BGN 913

-76.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$109 ؋7,043

$367 BGN 643

-70.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ؋14.2K

$634 BGN 1,110

-65.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 ؋7,463

$558 BGN 976

-79.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$675 ؋43.7K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

-43.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$363 ؋23.5K

$971 BGN 1,699

-62.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$339 ؋21.9K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-79.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Kabul: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kabul

$151 29.9%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 21.5% $32

Accommodation & Living

Kabul

$109 21.6%

Bansko

$367 38% 238% $259

Groceries & Markets

Kabul

$102 20.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 90% $91

Eating Out

Kabul

$51 10.1%

Bansko

$145 15% 187% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Kabul

$49 9.8%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 30.7% $15

Getting Around

Kabul

$26 5.2%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 34.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Kabul

$16 3.2%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 175% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $125 in Kabul versus $521 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 393% 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 $8.00 in Kabul versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $102 vs $193 – making Kabul the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇫 Kabul

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

12:44 12:44 PM

11:14 11:14 AM

1 h 30 min behind Kabul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,289,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Afghanistan Afghani AFN ؋

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 AFN = 1.54 USD

100 AFN = 1.38 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to AFN – Afghanistan Afghani Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇫 Afghanistan Afghani (؋)

Afghanistan Afghani exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 64.76 AFN (100 AFN = 1.54 USD). 1 EUR = 72.64 AFN (100 AFN = 1.38 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to AFN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kabul Bansko 4,030 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kabul
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

Kabul vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $511 in Kabul, $970 in Bansko – roughly 90% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $767 per month in Kabul and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kabul, 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 $8.00 in Kabul and $47.00 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 $511 in Kabul and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 90%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Kabul, where all-in costs run around $511, than in Bansko at $970. In Kabul 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 $511 in Kabul to $970 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 Kabul. 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.