Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lodz and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,469 in Lodz, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

72

Cost of Living Index in Lodz
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Lodz Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Lodz

🇵🇱 Poland

$1,469

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,469 per month in Lodz vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Lodz $1,469
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,141 per month in Lodz vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Lodz $2,141
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,813 per month in Lodz vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Lodz $2,813
Bansko $1,957

Lodz costs about 51% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Lodz sits 10% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.77 zł 38.19

$8.66 BGN 15.15

12.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.41 zł 185

$46.63 BGN 81.6

1.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.22 zł 36.05

$9.01 BGN 15.77

2.33%

Cappuccino

$3.53 zł 13.79

$2.24 BGN 3.92

57.59%

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

$2.77 zł 10.81

$1.50 BGN 2.63

84.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 zł 10.46

$0.86 BGN 1.51

211.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 zł 17.54

$1.76 BGN 3.07

155.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 zł 19.54

$2.00 BGN 3.51

150.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 zł 3.99

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-43.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 zł 4.19

$0.81 BGN 1.42

32.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 zł 5.25

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-11.84%

Eggs

$3.31 zł 12.93

$2.30 BGN 4.02

43.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 zł 42.07

$9.60 BGN 16.81

12.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.06 zł 27.58

$6.32 BGN 11.06

11.71%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.96 zł 46.74

$8.64 BGN 15.12

38.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.15 zł 4.48

$1.28 BGN 2.24

-10.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 zł 6.54

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-0.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 zł 9.05

$1.70 BGN 2.98

35.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.96 zł 11.59

$1.89 BGN 3.30

56.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 zł 3.29

$0.93 BGN 1.63

-9.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 zł 3.56

$0.76 BGN 1.32

19.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 zł 5.17

$0.54 BGN 0.95

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 zł 2.29

$0.58 BGN 1.02

1.72%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.78 zł 22.59

$3.44 BGN 6.02

68.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.72 zł 26.25

$5.14 BGN 9.00

30.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 zł 4.52

$1.11 BGN 1.94

4.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 zł 6.57

$1.70 BGN 2.97

-1.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.16 zł 4.55

$0.88 BGN 1.55

31.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.8 zł 198

$26.76 BGN 46.83

89.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 zł 6.14

$1.29 BGN 2.26

21.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.58 zł 2.25

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-10.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.01 zł 35.20

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-11.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 zł 6.35

$1.50 BGN 2.63

8.00%

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

$30.8K zł 120.6K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

7.05%

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

$26.8K zł 104.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

24.88%

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

$309 zł 1,206

$91.4 BGN 160

237.48%

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

$8.67 zł 33.89

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-40.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.27 zł 67.5

$12.07 BGN 21.12

43.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.49 zł 143

$32.28 BGN 56.5

13.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.00 zł 70.3

$8.60 BGN 15.05

109.30%

Cinema Ticket

$7.86 zł 30.71

$5.63 BGN 9.86

39.61%

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

$514 zł 2,010

$228 BGN 400

125.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K zł 40.1K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

344.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.5 zł 291

$30.48 BGN 53.3

144.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.66 zł 159

$19.01 BGN 33.26

113.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 zł 348

$45.53 BGN 79.7

95.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 zł 376

$48.67 BGN 85.2

97.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$599 zł 2,343

$521 BGN 913

14.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 zł 1,784

$367 BGN 643

24.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,091 zł 4,265

$634 BGN 1,110

72.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 zł 3,167

$558 BGN 976

45.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,158 zł 12.3K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

162.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 zł 9,278

$971 BGN 1,699

144.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,605 zł 6,275

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-3.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.87

2.99

129.77%

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

Last update for Lodz: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lodz

$456 31.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 19.5% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lodz

$335 22.9%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 64.7% $216

Groceries & Markets

Lodz

$222 15.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 13% $29

Eating Out

Lodz

$202 13.8%

Bansko

$145 15% 28.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Lodz

$135 9.2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 52.2% $71

Getting Around

Lodz

$60 4.1%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 41.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lodz

$52 3.6%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 16.6% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $599 in Lodz 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 4% 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 $47.00 in Lodz versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $222 in Lodz vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇱 Lodz

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h ahead of Lodz

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

711,332

8,000

💱 Currency

Polish Złoty PLN zł

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 PLN = 0.256 USD

1 PLN = 0.228 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PLN – Polish Złoty Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇱 Polish Złoty (zł)

Polish Złoty exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.91 PLN (1 PLN = 0.256 USD). 1 EUR = 4.38 PLN (1 PLN = 0.228 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 PLN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Lodz Bansko 1,150 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Lodz
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

Lodz vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,469 in Lodz, $970 in Bansko – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,203 per month in Lodz 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 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 $47.00 in Lodz 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 $1,469 in Lodz and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Lodz at $1,469. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Lodz 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,469 in Lodz. 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, Lodz makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.