Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Bansko

For one person, living costs are similar in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and in Bansko: $953 and $956 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇴🇲 Oman

$953

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $953 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $953
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,433 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,433
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos $1,914
Bansko $1,979

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Bansko have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Madinat As Sultan Qaboos 29% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.29 OMR 2.04

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-38.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.70 OMR 15.29

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-11.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.76 OMR 2.99

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-11.62%

Cappuccino

$4.94 OMR 1.90

$2.33 BGN 4.05

112.02%

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

$0.84 OMR 0.32

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-46.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 OMR 0.11

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-64.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$12.92 OMR 4.97

$1.68 BGN 2.92

669.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.93 OMR 4.98

$1.98 BGN 3.45

553.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.31 OMR 0.89

$1.73 BGN 3.00

33.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.20 OMR 0.46

$0.80 BGN 1.40

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 OMR 0.70

$1.44 BGN 2.51

26.39%

Eggs

$3.03 OMR 1.17

$2.36 BGN 4.10

28.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 OMR 2.74

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-24.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.00 OMR 2.70

$6.41 BGN 11.15

9.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.58 OMR 4.07

$8.48 BGN 14.76

24.76%

Apples (1kg)

$3.59 OMR 1.38

$1.31 BGN 2.28

174.05%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 OMR 0.78

$1.62 BGN 2.82

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 OMR 0.90

$1.73 BGN 3.01

35.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 OMR 0.50

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-32.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 OMR 0.45

$0.94 BGN 1.63

23.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 OMR 0.49

$0.76 BGN 1.32

68.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.85 OMR 0.71

$0.55 BGN 0.95

236.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 OMR 0.27

$0.59 BGN 1.02

20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 OMR 2.56

$3.25 BGN 5.66

104.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.76 OMR 6.07

$5.20 BGN 9.05

203.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$6.08 OMR 2.34

$1.09 BGN 1.89

457.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.22 OMR 3.93

$1.68 BGN 2.92

508.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.32 OMR 1.28

$1.34 BGN 2.34

147.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 OMR 0.98

$0.65 BGN 1.14

293.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 OMR 2.98

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-23.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-56.76%

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

$25.3K OMR 9,736

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-13.22%

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

$22.3K OMR 8,570

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

6.40%

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

$176 OMR 67.9

$92.4 BGN 161

90.74%

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

$31.16 OMR 12.00

$14.52 BGN 25.26

114.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.5 OMR 27.51

$12.32 BGN 21.43

480.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 OMR 4.01

$5.62 BGN 9.78

85.59%

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

$292 OMR 112

$230 BGN 401

26.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K OMR 4,033

$2,268 BGN 3,947

361.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 OMR 21.33

$30.10 BGN 52.4

84.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 OMR 16.89

$19.62 BGN 34.13

123.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.6 OMR 34.12

$45.86 BGN 79.8

93.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.4 OMR 34.02

$47.69 BGN 83.0

85.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.25

2.99

75.59%

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

Last update for Madinat As Sultan Qaboos: 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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$293 30.7%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 34.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$279 29.3%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 57.2% $160

Eating Out

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$220 23.1%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 33.8% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$124 13%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 48.1% $60

Sport & Entertainment

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$21 * 2.2%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 106% $22

Getting Around

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

$16 * 1.7%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 117% $19

Accommodation & Living

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

- * 0%

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

07:25 7:25 AM

1 h behind Madinat As Sultan Qaboos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.31 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.433 OMR (1 OMR = 2.31 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos Bansko 3,810 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos
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

Madinat As Sultan Qaboos vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,430 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $292 per month in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 53% cheaper in Bansko – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos, where all-in costs run around $953, than in Bansko at $956. In Madinat As Sultan Qaboos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madinat As Sultan Qaboos has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $953 in Madinat As Sultan Qaboos to $956 in Bansko. 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 Madinat As Sultan Qaboos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.