Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Makhachkala and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $968 a month against $1,119 in Makhachkala, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. The total is higher in Makhachkala despite lower rent and utilities.

54

Cost of Living Index in Makhachkala
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Makhachkala Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Makhachkala

🇷🇺 Russia

$1,119

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,119 per month in Makhachkala vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,119
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,771 per month in Makhachkala vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Makhachkala $1,771
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $2,422 per month in Makhachkala vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Makhachkala $2,422
Bansko $1,989

Makhachkala costs about 16% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Makhachkala and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Makhachkala 17% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.92 ₽892

$8.83 BGN 15.37

23.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.03 ₽3,759

$45.43 BGN 79.1

1.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.55 ₽535

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-26.57%

Cappuccino

$2.85 ₽233

$2.33 BGN 4.06

22.32%

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

$1.23 ₽100

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-17.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 ₽47.71

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-30.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 ₽154

$1.75 BGN 3.05

7.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.53 ₽289

$2.01 BGN 3.49

75.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 ₽95.4

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-31.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 ₽65.9

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 ₽114

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-4.11%

Eggs

$1.58 ₽129

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-32.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.17 ₽994

$9.54 BGN 16.60

27.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 ₽454

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-11.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 ₽919

$8.64 BGN 15.04

30.32%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ₽151

$1.32 BGN 2.29

40.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.79 ₽147

$1.65 BGN 2.86

8.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 ₽141

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-0.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 ₽245

$1.94 BGN 3.38

54.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 ₽65.4

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-15.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₽48.32

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-18.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 ₽128

$0.55 BGN 0.96

185.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 ₽59.7

$0.59 BGN 1.03

23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.92 ₽238

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-12.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.50 ₽694

$5.08 BGN 8.84

67.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 ₽88.7

$1.12 BGN 1.95

-2.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 ₽194

$1.73 BGN 3.01

36.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.58 ₽47.05

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-34.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.54 ₽2,412

$27.08 BGN 47.11

9.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ₽192

$1.64 BGN 2.85

43.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.39 ₽31.86

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-57.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.37 ₽520

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-36.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 ₽71.9

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-41.33%

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

$46.0K ₽3.8M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

60.99%

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

$37.0K ₽3.0M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

74.11%

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

$125 ₽10.2K

$92.5 BGN 161

34.93%

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

$5.77 ₽471

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-60.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.34 ₽763

$12.13 BGN 21.11

-23.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.68 ₽2,995

$31.84 BGN 55.4

15.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.65 ₽2,258

$8.46 BGN 14.72

226.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ₽531

$5.51 BGN 9.59

17.97%

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

$352 ₽28.8K

$227 BGN 395

55.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,172 ₽504.0K

$2,311 BGN 4,021

167.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.0 ₽7,510

$30.56 BGN 53.2

200.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.71 ₽4,059

$18.95 BGN 32.97

162.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$148 ₽12.1K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

222.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 ₽10.7K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

172.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 ₽40.2K

$510 BGN 887

-3.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$322 ₽26.3K

$364 BGN 634

-11.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$917 ₽74.9K

$624 BGN 1,085

47.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$585 ₽47.8K

$566 BGN 985

3.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,252 ₽183.9K

$1,166 BGN 2,028

93.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,507 ₽123.0K

$969 BGN 1,686

55.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$638 ₽52.1K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-62.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

21.33

2.99

613.38%

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

Last update for Makhachkala: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Makhachkala

$322 28.8%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 13.2% $43

Groceries & Markets

Makhachkala

$218 19.4%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 11.3% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Makhachkala

$189 16.9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 65.9% $125

Eating Out

Makhachkala

$165 14.7%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 10.6% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Makhachkala

$140 12.5%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 14.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Makhachkala

$50 4.4%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 13.7% $6.8

Getting Around

Makhachkala

$36 3.2%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 1.9% $0.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $492 in Makhachkala versus $510 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 in Bansko are about 2.6 times higher, 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 $46 in Makhachkala versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $218 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇺 Makhachkala

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

00:42 12:42 AM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h behind Makhachkala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

604,266

8,000

💱 Currency

Russian Ruble RUB ₽

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 RUB = 1.22 USD

100 RUB = 1.09 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to RUB – Russian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇺 Russian Ruble (₽)

Russian Ruble exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 81.66 RUB (100 RUB = 1.22 USD). 1 EUR = 91.67 RUB (100 RUB = 1.09 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to RUB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Makhachkala Bansko 1,970 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Makhachkala
Bansko

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Makhachkala vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,119 in Makhachkala, $968 in Bansko – Bansko comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,679 per month in Makhachkala and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $492 in Makhachkala and $510 in Bansko. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,119 in Makhachkala and $968 in Bansko. That makes Bansko about 13% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $352 per month in Makhachkala and $227 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $968 in Bansko to $1,119 in Makhachkala. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.