Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mashhad, Iran and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Mashhad: $464 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mashhad
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Mashhad Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Mashhad

🇮🇷 Iran

$464

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $464 per month in Mashhad vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Mashhad $464
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $759 per month in Mashhad vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Mashhad $759
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,054 per month in Mashhad vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Mashhad $1,054
Bansko $1,989

Mashhad is about 52% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Mashhad and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Mashhad 66% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.07 $3.07

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-65.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.75 $18.75

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-58.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.06 $5.06

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-43.27%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.56 $0.56

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 $0.92

Cappuccino

$1.09 $1.09

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-53.22%

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

$0.43 $0.43

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-71.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 $0.26

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-68.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

Milk (1 liter)

$0.61 $0.61

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-64.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.21 $0.21

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-75.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.46 BGN 2.55

33.56%

Eggs

$1.15 $1.15

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-50.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.17 $2.17

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-77.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.71 $2.71

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-56.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.43 $10.43

$8.64 BGN 15.04

20.72%

Apples (1kg)

$0.87 $0.87

$1.32 BGN 2.29

-34.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 $1.56

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-5.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.80 $0.80

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-54.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-48.42%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 $0.48

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.55 BGN 0.96

-5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.86 $0.86

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 $0.79

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.97 $0.97

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.02 $0.02

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-97.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$3.66 $3.66

$27.08 BGN 47.11

-86.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.18 $0.18

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-89.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 $0.49

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-46.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.02 $2.02

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-79.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.78 $0.78

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-48.00%

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

$59.8K $59.8K

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

109.36%

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

$67.7K $67.7K

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

218.67%

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

$14.81 $14.81

$92.5 BGN 161

-83.99%

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

$2.14 $2.14

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-85.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.20 $20.20

$12.13 BGN 21.11

66.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.54 $19.54

$31.84 BGN 55.4

-38.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.96 $14.96

$8.46 BGN 14.72

76.83%

Cinema Ticket

$1.97 $1.97

$5.51 BGN 9.59

-64.25%

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

$41.44 $41.44

$227 BGN 395

-81.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$625 $625

$2,311 BGN 4,021

-72.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.06 $20.06

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-34.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.31 $39.31

$18.95 BGN 32.97

107.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 $95.3

$45.80 BGN 79.7

108.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 $70.1

$48.28 BGN 84.0

45.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 $199

$510 BGN 887

-60.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$141 $141

$364 BGN 634

-61.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$402 $402

$624 BGN 1,085

-35.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 $263

$566 BGN 985

-53.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,124 $1,124

$1,166 BGN 2,028

-3.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$687 $687

$969 BGN 1,686

-29.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$249 $249

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-85.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

702.68%

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

Last update for Mashhad: 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

Mashhad

$141 30.3%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 159% $224

Clothing & Footwear

Mashhad

$101 21.8%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 36.1% $37

Groceries & Markets

Mashhad

$100 21.5%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 93.4% $93

Eating Out

Mashhad

$56 12%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 165% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mashhad

$37 8%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 221% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Mashhad

$23 5.1%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 82.6% $19

Getting Around

Mashhad

$6.4 1.4%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 479% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $199 in Mashhad 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 6.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mashhad versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $100 vs $193 – making Mashhad the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Mashhad

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:27 5:27 AM

03:57 3:57 AM

1 h 30 min behind Mashhad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,001,184

8,000

💱 Currency

USD USD

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.891 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

BGN to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mashhad Bansko 3,150 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mashhad
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

Mashhad vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $464 in Mashhad, $968 in Bansko – Mashhad comes out roughly 52% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $696 per month in Mashhad and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mashhad, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $199 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mashhad and $45 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 $464 in Mashhad and $968 in Bansko. That makes Mashhad about 52% cheaper.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mashhad, where all-in costs run around $464, than in Bansko at $968. In Mashhad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mashhad – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Mashhad. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.