Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Karlskrona and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,617 in Karlskrona, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Karlskrona
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Karlskrona Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Karlskrona

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,617

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,617 per month in Karlskrona vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Karlskrona $1,617
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,525 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Karlskrona $2,525
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $3,434 per month in Karlskrona vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Karlskrona $3,434
Bansko $1,979

Karlskrona costs about 69% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Karlskrona sits 20% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.71 SEK 126

$8.66 BGN 15.06

46.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 SEK 633

$44.94 BGN 78.2

42.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.79 SEK 87.1

$8.78 BGN 15.28

0.11%

Cappuccino

$3.96 SEK 39.23

$2.33 BGN 4.05

69.96%

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

$1.30 SEK 12.90

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-17.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SEK 21.71

$0.82 BGN 1.43

167.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.04 SEK 69.8

$1.68 BGN 2.92

319.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 SEK 50.5

$1.98 BGN 3.45

157.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 SEK 14.36

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-16.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 SEK 27.50

$0.80 BGN 1.40

247.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 SEK 35.72

$1.44 BGN 2.51

150.00%

Eggs

$4.38 SEK 43.41

$2.36 BGN 4.10

85.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.82 SEK 107

$9.39 BGN 16.34

15.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.33 SEK 132

$6.41 BGN 11.15

107.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.14 SEK 170

$8.48 BGN 14.76

102.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 SEK 29.52

$1.31 BGN 2.28

127.48%

Banana (1kg)

$2.43 SEK 24.06

$1.62 BGN 2.82

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 SEK 29.43

$1.73 BGN 3.01

71.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.41 SEK 43.65

$1.94 BGN 3.38

127.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 SEK 14.59

$0.94 BGN 1.63

56.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 SEK 15.20

$0.76 BGN 1.32

101.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 SEK 20.82

$0.55 BGN 0.95

281.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.36 SEK 13.43

$0.59 BGN 1.02

130.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.19 SEK 71.2

$3.25 BGN 5.66

121.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.29 SEK 122

$5.20 BGN 9.05

136.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 SEK 19.74

$1.09 BGN 1.89

82.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 SEK 16.77

$1.68 BGN 2.92

0.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 SEK 28.94

$0.84 BGN 1.45

247.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.8 SEK 691

$27.06 BGN 47.09

157.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$12.92 SEK 128

$1.34 BGN 2.34

864.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 SEK 20.00

$0.65 BGN 1.14

210.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$80.5 SEK 798

$10.06 BGN 17.51

700.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 SEK 17.18

$1.48 BGN 2.57

16.89%

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

$33.4K SEK 330.6K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

14.50%

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

$32.8K SEK 324.7K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

56.65%

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

$51.5 SEK 510

$92.4 BGN 161

-44.34%

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

$27.15 SEK 269

$14.52 BGN 25.26

86.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.02 SEK 367

$12.32 BGN 21.43

200.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.67 SEK 413

$31.70 BGN 55.2

31.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$16.12 SEK 160

$5.62 BGN 9.78

186.83%

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

$159 SEK 1,572

$230 BGN 401

-31.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.3 SEK 973

$30.10 BGN 52.4

226.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.03 SEK 198

$19.62 BGN 34.13

2.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.0 SEK 783

$45.86 BGN 79.8

72.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 SEK 1,698

$47.69 BGN 83.0

259.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$664 SEK 6,583

$518 BGN 902

28.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$564 SEK 5,585

$357 BGN 621

57.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,078 SEK 10.7K

$614 BGN 1,069

75.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$946 SEK 9,373

$569 BGN 990

66.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,898 SEK 28.7K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

143.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,466 SEK 24.4K

$959 BGN 1,669

157.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,479 SEK 24.6K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

45.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.22

2.99

41.14%

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

Last update for Karlskrona: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Karlskrona

$564 34.9%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 36.7% $207

Groceries & Markets

Karlskrona

$358 22.2%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 46.4% $166

Eating Out

Karlskrona

$235 14.5%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 38.1% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Karlskrona

$166 10.3%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 61.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Karlskrona

$116 7.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 3.1% $3.6

Getting Around

Karlskrona

$104 6.5%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 66.5% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Karlskrona

$74 4.6%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 41.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $664 in Karlskrona 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 46% higher in Karlskrona, 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 $64.0 in Karlskrona versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Karlskrona

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

04:01 4:01 AM

05:01 5:01 AM

1 h ahead of Karlskrona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,212

8,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.09 USD

100 SEK = 8.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 9.91 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.14 SEK (100 SEK = 8.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Karlskrona Bansko 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Karlskrona
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

Karlskrona vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,617 in Karlskrona, $956 in Bansko – roughly 69% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,425 per month in Karlskrona and $1,434 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64.0 in Karlskrona and $45.00 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 $1,617 in Karlskrona and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 69%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Karlskrona at $1,617. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Karlskrona 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 $1,617 in Karlskrona. 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, Karlskrona makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.