Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kumamoto and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,275 in Kumamoto, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Kumamoto
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Kumamoto Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Kumamoto

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,275

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,275 per month in Kumamoto vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Kumamoto $1,275
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,968 per month in Kumamoto vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Kumamoto $1,968
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,661 per month in Kumamoto vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Kumamoto $2,661
Bansko $1,979

Kumamoto costs about 33% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kumamoto and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Kumamoto 6% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.11 ¥1,123

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-17.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.31 ¥4,947

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-30.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.04 ¥955

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-31.21%

Cappuccino

$3.21 ¥507

$2.33 BGN 4.05

37.77%

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

$0.99 ¥157

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-36.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ¥121

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-7.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.75 ¥593

$1.68 BGN 2.92

123.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ¥353

$1.98 BGN 3.45

13.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥213

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-21.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 ¥292

$0.80 BGN 1.40

131.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.70 ¥1,058

$1.44 BGN 2.51

365.28%

Eggs

$1.86 ¥293

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-21.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.45 ¥2,915

$9.39 BGN 16.34

96.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 ¥865

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-14.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.63 ¥2,944

$8.48 BGN 14.76

119.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.57 ¥565

$1.31 BGN 2.28

172.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 ¥292

$1.62 BGN 2.82

14.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥457

$1.73 BGN 3.01

67.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 ¥535

$1.94 BGN 3.38

74.74%

Potato (1kg)

$2.19 ¥347

$0.94 BGN 1.63

132.98%

Onion (1kg)

$2.62 ¥414

$0.76 BGN 1.32

244.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ¥168

$0.55 BGN 0.95

92.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥154

$0.59 BGN 1.02

66.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 ¥611

$3.25 BGN 5.66

19.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.63 ¥890

$5.20 BGN 9.05

8.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 ¥262

$1.09 BGN 1.89

52.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 ¥300

$1.68 BGN 2.92

13.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 ¥217

$0.84 BGN 1.45

63.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$57.2 ¥9,037

$27.06 BGN 47.09

111.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.85 ¥608

$1.34 BGN 2.34

187.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 ¥329

$0.65 BGN 1.14

220.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.13 ¥2,865

$10.06 BGN 17.51

80.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 ¥175

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-25.68%

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

$22.0K ¥3.5M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-24.49%

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

$17.7K ¥2.8M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-15.36%

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

$207 ¥32.7K

$92.4 BGN 161

124.13%

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

$24.29 ¥3,838

$14.52 BGN 25.26

67.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.05 ¥5,222

$12.32 BGN 21.43

168.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.67 ¥7,215

$31.70 BGN 55.2

44.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$10.98 ¥1,735

$5.62 BGN 9.78

95.37%

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

$126 ¥20.0K

$230 BGN 401

-45.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.1K ¥1.9M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

434.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.65 ¥7,685

$30.10 BGN 52.4

61.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.06 ¥4,118

$19.62 BGN 34.13

32.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.7 ¥10.4K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

43.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.35 ¥7,323

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-2.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 ¥82.8K

$518 BGN 902

1.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$325 ¥51.3K

$357 BGN 621

-9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,110 ¥175.3K

$614 BGN 1,069

80.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$722 ¥114.1K

$569 BGN 990

26.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,521 ¥714.2K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

279.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,747 ¥276.0K

$959 BGN 1,669

82.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.97

2.99

-34.11%

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

Last update for Kumamoto: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kumamoto

$325 25.5%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 10% $32

Groceries & Markets

Kumamoto

$313 24.6%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 38.8% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kumamoto

$265 20.8%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 54.9% $145

Eating Out

Kumamoto

$144 11.3%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 1.2% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Kumamoto

$84 6.6%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 23.3% $20

Getting Around

Kumamoto

$77 6%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 54.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Kumamoto

$68 5.3%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 36.5% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Kumamoto 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31.00 in Kumamoto versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $313 in Kumamoto vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kumamoto

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

16:55 4:55 PM

10:55 10:55 AM

6 h behind Kumamoto

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

738,865

8,000

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

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

USD to JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Kumamoto Bansko 8,880 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kumamoto
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

Kumamoto vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,275 in Kumamoto, $956 in Bansko – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,912 per month in Kumamoto 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 $31.00 in Kumamoto 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 $1,275 in Kumamoto and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 33%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Kumamoto at $1,275. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kumamoto 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 $1,275 in Kumamoto. 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, Kumamoto makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.