Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Madison, WI and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,994 in Madison, WI, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

148

Cost of Living Index in Madison, WI
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Madison, WI Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Madison, WI

🇺🇸 United States

$2,994

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,994 per month in Madison, WI vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Madison, WI $2,994
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $4,424 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Madison, WI $4,424
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $5,854 per month in Madison, WI vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Madison, WI $5,854
Bansko $1,957

Madison, WI costs about 209% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Madison, WI sits 123% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.62 $19.62

$8.66 BGN 15.15

126.56%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 $68.0

$46.63 BGN 81.6

45.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.07 $13.07

$9.01 BGN 15.77

45.06%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.24 BGN 3.92

151.34%

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

$3.16 $3.16

$1.50 BGN 2.63

110.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$0.86 BGN 1.51

194.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.08 $7.08

$1.76 BGN 3.07

302.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.23 $8.23

$2.00 BGN 3.51

311.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-45.25%

White Bread (500g)

$3.43 $3.43

$0.81 BGN 1.42

323.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.13 $4.13

$1.52 BGN 2.66

171.71%

Eggs

$3.61 $3.61

$2.30 BGN 4.02

56.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.92 $14.92

$9.60 BGN 16.81

55.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.28 $13.28

$6.32 BGN 11.06

110.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.06 $20.06

$8.64 BGN 15.12

132.18%

Apples (1kg)

$4.75 $4.75

$1.28 BGN 2.24

271.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 $1.62

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-3.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.31 $5.31

$1.70 BGN 2.98

212.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.98 $4.98

$1.89 BGN 3.30

163.49%

Potato (1kg)

$2.79 $2.79

$0.93 BGN 1.63

200.00%

Onion (1kg)

$3.12 $3.12

$0.76 BGN 1.32

310.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.19 $2.19

$0.54 BGN 0.95

305.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 $2.42

$0.58 BGN 1.02

317.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.77 $10.77

$3.44 BGN 6.02

213.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.75 $15.75

$5.14 BGN 9.00

206.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 $2.70

$1.11 BGN 1.94

143.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.70 BGN 2.97

160.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.88 BGN 1.55

134.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.5 $65.5

$26.76 BGN 46.83

144.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 $3.97

$1.29 BGN 2.26

207.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$0.65 BGN 1.14

210.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$43.09 $43.09

$10.18 BGN 17.81

323.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-32.67%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

24.94%

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

$25.6K $25.6K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

19.45%

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

$269 $269

$91.4 BGN 160

194.32%

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

$52.5 $52.5

$14.68 BGN 25.68

257.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$83.8 $83.8

$12.07 BGN 21.12

594.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.4 $58.4

$32.28 BGN 56.5

80.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.54 $10.54

$8.60 BGN 15.05

22.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.27 $15.27

$5.63 BGN 9.86

171.23%

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

$1,705 $1,705

$228 BGN 400

646.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$23.0K $23.0K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

896.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.0 $63.0

$30.48 BGN 53.3

106.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.0 $50.0

$19.01 BGN 33.26

163.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 $108

$45.53 BGN 79.7

136.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 $121

$48.67 BGN 85.2

149.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,789 $1,789

$521 BGN 913

242.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,572 $1,572

$367 BGN 643

328.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,177 $3,177

$634 BGN 1,110

401.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,565 $2,565

$558 BGN 976

359.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,524 $4,524

$1,204 BGN 2,106

275.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 $2,489

$971 BGN 1,699

156.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,383 $4,383

$1,670 BGN 2,923

162.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.69

2.99

123.75%

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

Last update for Madison, WI: 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

Madison, WI

$1.6K 51.1%

Bansko

$367 38% 76.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Madison, WI

$432 14%

Bansko

$193 20% 55.3% $239

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Madison, WI

$405 13.2%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 70.8% $287

Eating Out

Madison, WI

$338 11%

Bansko

$145 15% 57% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Madison, WI

$154 5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 58% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Madison, WI

$89 2.9%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 51% $45

Getting Around

Madison, WI

$88 2.9%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 60.3% $53

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,789 in Madison, WI 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 162% higher in Madison, WI, 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 $68.0 in Madison, WI versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $432 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Madison, WI

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

06:12 6:12 AM

8 h ahead of Madison, WI

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,951

8,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 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).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Madison, WI Bansko 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Madison, WI
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

Madison, WI vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,994 in Madison, WI, $970 in Bansko – roughly 209% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,491 per month in Madison, WI 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 $68.0 in Madison, WI 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 $2,994 in Madison, WI and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 209%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Madison, WI at $2,994. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Madison, WI it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Madison, WI has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $2,994 in Madison, WI. 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, Madison, WI makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.