Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurume and Bansko

For one person, living costs are similar in Kurume and in Bansko: $965 and $956 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Kurume
Learn more

Kurume Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Kurume

🇯🇵 Japan

$965

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Kurume vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Kurume $965
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,529 per month in Kurume vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Kurume $1,529
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,092 per month in Kurume vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Kurume $2,092
Bansko $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.43 ¥700

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-48.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.67 ¥6,900

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-2.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.81 ¥601

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-56.61%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ¥302

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-18.03%

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

$0.66 ¥104

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-57.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 ¥86.2

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-32.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.20 ¥505

$1.68 BGN 2.92

90.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥252

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-19.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥197

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 ¥197

$0.80 BGN 1.40

56.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.13 ¥810

$1.44 BGN 2.51

256.25%

Eggs

$1.88 ¥296

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-20.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 ¥2,821

$9.39 BGN 16.34

90.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.33 ¥841

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-16.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.13 ¥3,022

$8.48 BGN 14.76

125.59%

Apples (1kg)

$3.70 ¥584

$1.31 BGN 2.28

182.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.87 ¥296

$1.62 BGN 2.82

15.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.89 ¥456

$1.73 BGN 3.01

67.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 ¥515

$1.94 BGN 3.38

68.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.13 ¥336

$0.94 BGN 1.63

126.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.63 ¥416

$0.76 BGN 1.32

246.05%

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)

$3.64 ¥575

$3.25 BGN 5.66

12.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.21 ¥981

$5.20 BGN 9.05

19.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.64 ¥260

$1.09 BGN 1.89

50.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 ¥181

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-31.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 ¥238

$0.84 BGN 1.45

79.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.98 ¥7,423

$27.06 BGN 47.09

73.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.96 ¥626

$1.34 BGN 2.34

195.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 ¥333

$0.65 BGN 1.14

224.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.62 ¥2,784

$10.06 BGN 17.51

75.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 ¥94.5

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-59.46%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-26.30%

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

$17.8K ¥2.8M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-15.12%

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

$210 ¥33.1K

$92.4 BGN 161

126.80%

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

$24.97 ¥3,944

$14.52 BGN 25.26

71.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.59 ¥3,570

$12.32 BGN 21.43

83.36%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 ¥8,724

$31.70 BGN 55.2

74.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$6.82 ¥1,078

$5.62 BGN 9.78

21.35%

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

$127 ¥20.1K

$230 BGN 401

-44.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K ¥2.0M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

449.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.62 ¥7,682

$30.10 BGN 52.4

61.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.36 ¥1,953

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-37.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.78 ¥3,915

$45.86 BGN 79.8

-45.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.02 ¥4,901

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-34.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$531 ¥83.9K

$518 BGN 902

2.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$126 ¥20.0K

$357 BGN 621

-64.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$468 ¥73.9K

$614 BGN 1,069

-23.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$315 ¥49.8K

$569 BGN 990

-44.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,267 ¥674.1K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

258.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,883 ¥297.4K

$959 BGN 1,669

96.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,537 ¥242.8K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-9.79%

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 Kurume: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurume

$299 30.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 35.8% $107

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurume

$257 26.7%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 53.6% $138

Accommodation & Living

Kurume

$126 13.1%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 182% $230

Eating Out

Kurume

$94 9.7%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 55% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Kurume

$69 7.1%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 37.6% $26

Getting Around

Kurume

$68 7%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 48.1% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kurume

$53 5.5%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 22.7% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $531 in Kurume 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 11% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $44.00 in Kurume versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $299 in Kurume vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Kurume

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

08:07 8:07 AM

6 h behind Kurume

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

303,316

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 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).

USD to JPY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kurume Bansko 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Kurume
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

Kurume vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Kurume, $956 in Bansko – roughly 1% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,448 per month in Kurume 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 $44.00 in Kurume 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 $965 in Kurume and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 1%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Kurume at $965. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kurume 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 $965 in Kurume. 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, Kurume makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.