Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mackay and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,222 in Mackay, rent and utilities included – about $15,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

106

Cost of Living Index in Mackay
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Mackay Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Mackay

🇦🇺 Australia

$2,222

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,222 per month in Mackay vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Mackay $2,222
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,485 per month in Mackay vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Mackay $3,485
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $4,748 per month in Mackay vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Mackay $4,748
Bansko $1,957

Mackay costs about 129% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Mackay sits 66% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.39 A$24.89

$8.66 BGN 15.15

100.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$75.5 A$108

$46.63 BGN 81.6

61.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.53 A$17.93

$9.01 BGN 15.77

39.07%

Cappuccino

$4.14 A$5.92

$2.24 BGN 3.92

84.82%

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

$3.38 A$4.84

$1.50 BGN 2.63

125.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 A$3.87

$0.86 BGN 1.51

215.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.85 A$9.81

$1.76 BGN 3.07

289.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.06 A$10.10

$2.00 BGN 3.51

253.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 A$2.77

$1.79 BGN 3.14

7.82%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 A$3.72

$0.81 BGN 1.42

220.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.86 A$4.09

$1.52 BGN 2.66

88.16%

Eggs

$5.65 A$8.09

$2.30 BGN 4.02

145.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.63 A$13.78

$9.60 BGN 16.81

0.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.43 A$12.07

$6.32 BGN 11.06

33.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.28 A$23.29

$8.64 BGN 15.12

88.43%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 A$5.18

$1.28 BGN 2.24

182.81%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.28

$1.68 BGN 2.95

77.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.99 A$4.27

$1.70 BGN 2.98

75.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.62 A$9.48

$1.89 BGN 3.30

250.26%

Potato (1kg)

$2.50 A$3.58

$0.93 BGN 1.63

168.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 A$3.67

$0.76 BGN 1.32

238.16%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.08 A$4.41

$0.54 BGN 0.95

470.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.09 A$4.42

$0.58 BGN 1.02

432.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$42.90 A$61.4

$3.44 BGN 6.02

1147.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.52 A$12.20

$5.14 BGN 9.00

65.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.99 A$7.14

$1.11 BGN 1.94

349.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 A$8.96

$1.70 BGN 2.97

268.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.49 A$3.57

$0.88 BGN 1.55

182.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.7 A$101

$26.76 BGN 46.83

164.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 A$8.32

$1.29 BGN 2.26

350.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 A$3.02

$0.65 BGN 1.14

224.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.59 A$49.50

$10.18 BGN 17.81

239.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 A$1.73

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-19.33%

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

$27.2K A$38.9K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-5.59%

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

$35.4K A$50.7K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

65.12%

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

$230 A$329

$91.4 BGN 160

151.06%

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

$29.33 A$41.97

$14.68 BGN 25.68

99.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$79.5 A$114

$12.07 BGN 21.12

558.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 A$74.1

$32.28 BGN 56.5

60.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 A$29.52

$8.60 BGN 15.05

139.88%

Cinema Ticket

$16.88 A$24.15

$5.63 BGN 9.86

199.82%

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

$1,856 A$2,656

$228 BGN 400

712.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,749 A$9,658

$2,311 BGN 4,045

192.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 A$101

$30.48 BGN 53.3

131.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.0 A$73.0

$19.01 BGN 33.26

168.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 A$181

$45.53 BGN 79.7

178.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 A$150

$48.67 BGN 85.2

114.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 A$1,355

$521 BGN 913

81.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 A$1,148

$367 BGN 643

118.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,868 A$2,674

$634 BGN 1,110

194.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,784 A$2,553

$558 BGN 976

219.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,116 A$4,459

$1,204 BGN 2,106

158.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,738 A$2,487

$971 BGN 1,699

78.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,620 A$8,043

$1,670 BGN 2,923

236.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.63

2.99

88.29%

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

Last update for Mackay: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mackay

$802 36.9%

Bansko

$367 38% 54.2% $435

Groceries & Markets

Mackay

$397 18.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 51.3% $204

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mackay

$338 15.5%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 65.1% $220

Eating Out

Mackay

$299 13.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 51.4% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Mackay

$159 7.3%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 59.3% $94

Getting Around

Mackay

$97 4.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 64.1% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Mackay

$86 3.9%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 49.1% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $947 in Mackay 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 236% higher in Mackay, 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 $75.0 in Mackay versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $397 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Mackay

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:24 3:24 PM

08:24 8:24 AM

7 h behind Mackay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

80,455

8,000

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.699 USD

1 AUD = 0.623 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.43 AUD (1 AUD = 0.699 USD). 1 EUR = 1.61 AUD (1 AUD = 0.623 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 AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mackay Bansko 14,480 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Mackay
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

Mackay vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,222 in Mackay, $970 in Bansko – roughly 129% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,333 per month in Mackay 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 $75.0 in Mackay 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 $2,222 in Mackay and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 129%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Mackay at $2,222. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mackay 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 $2,222 in Mackay. 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, Mackay makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.