Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madeira and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,597 in Madeira, rent and utilities included – about $7,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Madeira
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Madeira Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Madeira

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,597

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,597 per month in Madeira vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Madeira $1,597
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,383 per month in Madeira vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Madeira $2,383
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $3,169 per month in Madeira vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Madeira $3,169
Bansko $1,957

Madeira costs about 65% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Madeira sits 19% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.62 €10.37

$8.66 BGN 15.15

34.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.16 €41.19

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-1.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 €8.14

$9.01 BGN 15.77

1.22%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.88

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-6.25%

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

$1.85 €1.65

$1.50 BGN 2.63

23.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.86 BGN 1.51

66.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.76 BGN 3.07

28.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 €3.16

$2.00 BGN 3.51

77.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-39.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 €1.37

$0.81 BGN 1.42

88.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.52 BGN 2.66

5.26%

Eggs

$2.99 €2.67

$2.30 BGN 4.02

30.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 €10.29

$9.60 BGN 16.81

20.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.69 €6.86

$6.32 BGN 11.06

21.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.00 €12.49

$8.64 BGN 15.12

62.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.28 BGN 2.24

83.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-16.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.70 BGN 2.98

5.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.89 BGN 3.30

32.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 €1.34

$0.93 BGN 1.63

62.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$0.76 BGN 1.32

152.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.54 BGN 0.95

187.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 €0.75

$0.58 BGN 1.02

44.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.04 €5.39

$3.44 BGN 6.02

75.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.22 €4.66

$5.14 BGN 9.00

1.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.11 BGN 1.94

17.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 €2.07

$1.70 BGN 2.97

36.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.36 €2.11

$0.88 BGN 1.55

168.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 €37.77

$26.76 BGN 46.83

58.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.28 €3.82

$1.29 BGN 2.26

231.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 €0.71

$0.65 BGN 1.14

21.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.53 €15.65

$10.18 BGN 17.81

72.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.69

$1.50 BGN 2.63

26.67%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

22.77%

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

$39.1K €34.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

82.18%

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

$134 €120

$91.4 BGN 160

46.54%

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

$20.90 €18.65

$14.68 BGN 25.68

42.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.95 €37.44

$12.07 BGN 21.12

247.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$43.41 €38.74

$32.28 BGN 56.5

34.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.37 €15.50

$8.60 BGN 15.05

101.98%

Cinema Ticket

$8.35 €7.45

$5.63 BGN 9.86

48.31%

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

$473 €422

$228 BGN 400

106.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,183 €7,303

$2,311 BGN 4,045

254.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 €66.7

$30.48 BGN 53.3

145.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.11 €34.01

$19.01 BGN 33.26

100.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 €82.0

$45.53 BGN 79.7

101.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.8 €82.8

$48.67 BGN 85.2

90.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €816

$521 BGN 913

75.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$717 €640

$367 BGN 643

95.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,446 €1,291

$634 BGN 1,110

128.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,021

$558 BGN 976

105.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,012 €2,688

$1,204 BGN 2,106

150.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,356 €2,103

$971 BGN 1,699

142.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.01

2.99

67.56%

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

Last update for Madeira: 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

Madeira

$717 45.1%

Bansko

$367 38% 48.8% $350

Groceries & Markets

Madeira

$246 15.5%

Bansko

$193 20% 21.4% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madeira

$197 12.4%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 40% $79

Eating Out

Madeira

$177 11.1%

Bansko

$145 15% 17.9% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Madeira

$134 8.4%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 51.7% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 27.5% $17

Getting Around

Madeira

$60 3.8%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 41.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Madeira 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46.00 in Madeira versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $246 in Madeira vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Madeira

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

04:49 4:49 AM

06:49 6:49 AM

2 h ahead of Madeira

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madeira Bansko 3,680 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Madeira
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

Madeira vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,597 in Madeira, $970 in Bansko – roughly 65% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,395 per month in Madeira 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 $46.00 in Madeira 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 $1,597 in Madeira and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 65%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Madeira at $1,597. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madeira it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madeira has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,597 in Madeira. 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, Madeira makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.