Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lewes and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $2,349 in Lewes, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

114

Cost of Living Index in Lewes
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Lewes Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Lewes

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,349

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,349 per month in Lewes vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Lewes $2,349
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $3,484 per month in Lewes vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Lewes $3,484
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $4,619 per month in Lewes vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Lewes $4,619
Bansko $1,979

Lewes costs about 146% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lewes sits 74% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.91 £18.69

$8.66 BGN 15.06

187.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.0 £69.8

$44.94 BGN 78.2

106.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.03 £7.52

$8.78 BGN 15.28

14.24%

Cappuccino

$4.82 £3.61

$2.33 BGN 4.05

106.87%

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

$2.96 £2.22

$1.57 BGN 2.74

88.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 £2.01

$0.82 BGN 1.43

226.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.74 £6.56

$1.68 BGN 2.92

420.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.40 £4.80

$1.98 BGN 3.45

223.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 £1.07

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-17.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 £1.32

$0.80 BGN 1.40

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 £1.59

$1.44 BGN 2.51

46.53%

Eggs

$3.69 £2.77

$2.36 BGN 4.10

56.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 £8.23

$9.39 BGN 16.34

16.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.33 £6.25

$6.41 BGN 11.15

29.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.62 £9.46

$8.48 BGN 14.76

48.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.86 £2.15

$1.31 BGN 2.28

118.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 £1.15

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.76 £2.07

$1.73 BGN 3.01

59.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.25 £2.43

$1.94 BGN 3.38

67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 £1.19

$0.94 BGN 1.63

69.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 £1.01

$0.76 BGN 1.32

77.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 £0.70

$0.55 BGN 0.95

70.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 £1.11

$0.59 BGN 1.02

150.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.53 £17.65

$3.25 BGN 5.66

624.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.12 £8.34

$5.20 BGN 9.05

113.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.29 £1.72

$1.09 BGN 1.89

110.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 £2.37

$1.68 BGN 2.92

88.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.33 £2.50

$0.84 BGN 1.45

296.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.5 £72.4

$27.06 BGN 47.09

256.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 £3.66

$1.34 BGN 2.34

263.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.58 £1.94

$0.65 BGN 1.14

296.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.61 £16.96

$10.06 BGN 17.51

124.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.48 BGN 2.57

39.86%

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

$38.3K £28.7K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

31.34%

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

$40.9K £30.7K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

95.62%

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

$279 £210

$92.4 BGN 161

202.26%

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

$16.87 £12.66

$14.52 BGN 25.26

16.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.59 £34.20

$12.32 BGN 21.43

270.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.22 £33.92

$31.70 BGN 55.2

42.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.98 £9.74

$8.53 BGN 14.84

52.17%

Cinema Ticket

$12.96 £9.72

$5.62 BGN 9.78

130.60%

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

$1,757 £1,318

$230 BGN 401

662.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$29.2K £21.9K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

1187.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.3 £56.5

$30.10 BGN 52.4

150.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.73 £33.55

$19.62 BGN 34.13

127.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 £77.8

$45.86 BGN 79.8

126.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 £66.4

$47.69 BGN 83.0

85.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,232 £924

$518 BGN 902

137.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,014 £761

$357 BGN 621

184.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,123 £1,593

$614 BGN 1,069

245.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,664 £1,248

$569 BGN 990

192.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,103 £3,828

$1,191 BGN 2,073

328.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 £2,948

$959 BGN 1,669

309.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,554 £3,416

$1,704 BGN 2,965

167.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

67.22%

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

Last update for Lewes: 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

Lewes

$1K 43.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 64.8% $657

Eating Out

Lewes

$366 15.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 60.3% $221

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lewes

$342 14.6%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 65.1% $223

Groceries & Markets

Lewes

$287 12.2%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 33.2% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Lewes

$141 6%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 54.1% $76

Getting Around

Lewes

$128 5.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 72.6% $93

Sport & Entertainment

Lewes

$71 3%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 39.6% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,232 in Lewes 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 167% higher in Lewes, 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 $93.0 in Lewes versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $287 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Lewes

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

10:52 10:52 AM

12:52 12:52 PM

2 h ahead of Lewes

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,297

8,000

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 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 GBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Lewes Bansko 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Lewes
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

Lewes vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,349 in Lewes, $956 in Bansko – roughly 146% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,523 per month in Lewes 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 $93.0 in Lewes 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 $2,349 in Lewes and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 146%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Lewes at $2,349. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lewes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Lewes has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Bansko to $2,349 in Lewes. 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, Lewes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.