Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $2,416 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

118

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,416

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,416 per month in Markham vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Markham $2,416
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $3,465 per month in Markham vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Markham $3,465
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $4,514 per month in Markham vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Markham $4,514
Bansko $1,979

Markham costs about 153% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Markham sits 79% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.37 CA$24.70

$8.66 BGN 15.15

100.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 CA$76.0

$44.94 BGN 78.6

18.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.47 CA$14.89

$8.78 BGN 15.36

19.25%

Cappuccino

$3.81 CA$5.42

$2.33 BGN 4.07

63.52%

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

$1.70 CA$2.42

$1.57 BGN 2.76

8.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.67

$0.82 BGN 1.44

42.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.59 CA$5.10

$1.68 BGN 2.93

113.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.62 CA$7.99

$1.98 BGN 3.47

183.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.76

$1.73 BGN 3.02

12.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 CA$3.16

$0.80 BGN 1.40

177.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 CA$2.70

$1.44 BGN 2.53

31.94%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.25

$2.36 BGN 4.13

26.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.43

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.70 CA$16.64

$6.41 BGN 11.21

82.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.81 CA$9.68

$8.48 BGN 14.84

-19.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.25

$1.31 BGN 2.29

181.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.80

$1.62 BGN 2.84

-22.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 CA$3.31

$1.73 BGN 3.03

34.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 CA$4.63

$1.94 BGN 3.40

68.04%

Potato (1kg)

$2.05 CA$2.92

$0.94 BGN 1.64

118.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.96 CA$2.79

$0.76 BGN 1.33

157.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 CA$4.08

$0.55 BGN 0.96

421.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 CA$2.11

$0.59 BGN 1.03

150.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$19.11

$3.25 BGN 5.69

313.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.66

$5.20 BGN 9.10

179.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.40 CA$3.41

$1.09 BGN 1.90

120.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.19 CA$4.54

$1.68 BGN 2.94

89.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.04 CA$4.32

$0.84 BGN 1.46

261.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$89.3 CA$127

$27.06 BGN 47.36

230.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 CA$4.71

$1.34 BGN 2.35

147.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 CA$26.44

$10.06 BGN 17.61

84.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.61

$1.48 BGN 2.59

-23.65%

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

$28.1K CA$40.0K

$29.1K BGN 51.0K

-3.53%

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

$18.1K CA$25.8K

$20.9K BGN 36.6K

-13.36%

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

$125 CA$178

$92.4 BGN 162

35.67%

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

$26.20 CA$37.26

$14.52 BGN 25.40

80.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.69 CA$65.0

$12.32 BGN 21.55

270.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.62 CA$60.6

$31.70 BGN 55.5

34.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.28 CA$30.26

$8.53 BGN 14.92

149.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.19 CA$14.49

$5.62 BGN 9.84

81.32%

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

$870 CA$1,237

$230 BGN 403

277.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.5K CA$39.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,970

1110.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.21 CA$61.4

$30.10 BGN 52.7

43.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.22 CA$52.9

$19.62 BGN 34.33

89.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 CA$130

$45.86 BGN 80.3

98.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$149

$47.69 BGN 83.5

119.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,554 CA$2,210

$518 BGN 907

199.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,391 CA$1,978

$357 BGN 625

289.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,699 CA$3,838

$614 BGN 1,075

339.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,236 CA$3,179

$569 BGN 996

292.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,896 CA$8,382

$1,191 BGN 2,085

394.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,309 CA$7,549

$959 BGN 1,679

453.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,132 CA$4,453

$1,704 BGN 2,982

83.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

2.99

52.51%

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

Last update for Markham: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 57.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 74.3% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$279 * 11.5%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 31.1% $87

Eating Out

Markham

$257 10.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 43.4% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$197 8.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 39.6% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$124 5.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 48.2% $60

Getting Around

Markham

$105 * 4.3%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 66.6% $70

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$63 2.6%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 31.8% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,554 in Markham versus $518 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 84% higher in Markham, 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 $53.0 in Markham versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $279 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

18:22 6:22 PM

01:22 1:22 AM

7 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

8,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.628 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.628 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Markham Bansko 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

Markham vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,416 in Markham, $956 in Bansko – roughly 153% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,624 per month in Markham and $1,434 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 $53.0 in Markham and $45.00 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 $2,416 in Markham and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 153%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Markham at $2,416. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Markham 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 $956 in Bansko to $2,416 in Markham. 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, Markham makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.