Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Meilen and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $3,372 in Meilen, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

163

Cost of Living Index in Meilen
Learn more

Meilen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Meilen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,372

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,372 per month in Meilen vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Meilen $3,372
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $5,942 per month in Meilen vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Meilen $5,942
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $8,512 per month in Meilen vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Meilen $8,512
Bansko $1,979

Meilen costs about 253% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Meilen sits 150% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.47 CHF 26.74

$8.66 BGN 15.06

274.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$122 CHF 101

$44.94 BGN 78.2

172.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.33 CHF 13.45

$8.78 BGN 15.28

85.99%

Cappuccino

$6.31 CHF 5.19

$2.33 BGN 4.05

170.82%

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

$5.68 CHF 4.67

$1.57 BGN 2.74

261.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.01 CHF 4.13

$0.82 BGN 1.43

510.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.46 CHF 6.97

$1.68 BGN 2.92

403.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.29 CHF 6.83

$1.98 BGN 3.45

318.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.21 CHF 1.82

$1.73 BGN 3.00

27.75%

White Bread (500g)

$3.27 CHF 2.69

$0.80 BGN 1.40

308.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.78 CHF 3.11

$1.44 BGN 2.51

162.50%

Eggs

$7.49 CHF 6.17

$2.36 BGN 4.10

217.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.56 CHF 21.87

$9.39 BGN 16.34

182.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.69 CHF 21.16

$6.41 BGN 11.15

300.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$40.25 CHF 33.15

$8.48 BGN 14.76

374.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$1.31 BGN 2.28

161.07%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 CHF 1.67

$1.62 BGN 2.82

25.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.67 CHF 2.20

$1.73 BGN 3.01

54.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.58 CHF 3.77

$1.94 BGN 3.38

136.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.96 CHF 1.61

$0.94 BGN 1.63

108.51%

Onion (1kg)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$0.76 BGN 1.32

184.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.32 CHF 1.91

$0.55 BGN 0.95

321.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 CHF 1.03

$0.59 BGN 1.02

111.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.03 CHF 9.09

$3.25 BGN 5.66

239.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.25 CHF 10.91

$5.20 BGN 9.05

154.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.09 BGN 1.89

107.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 CHF 2.66

$1.68 BGN 2.92

92.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.59 CHF 3.78

$0.84 BGN 1.45

446.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.8 CHF 79.7

$27.06 BGN 47.09

257.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.55 CHF 6.21

$1.34 BGN 2.34

463.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.50 CHF 3.71

$0.65 BGN 1.14

592.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$88.0 CHF 72.5

$10.06 BGN 17.51

775.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 CHF 1.86

$1.48 BGN 2.57

52.70%

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

$38.7K CHF 31.9K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

32.71%

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

$39.4K CHF 32.5K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

88.41%

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

$235 CHF 194

$92.4 BGN 161

154.64%

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

$36.06 CHF 29.70

$14.52 BGN 25.26

148.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.3 CHF 53.8

$12.32 BGN 21.43

430.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$88.1 CHF 72.6

$31.70 BGN 55.2

177.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.50 CHF 36.65

$8.53 BGN 14.84

421.69%

Cinema Ticket

$21.90 CHF 18.04

$5.62 BGN 9.78

289.68%

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

$2,816 CHF 2,319

$230 BGN 401

1122.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.3K CHF 34.8K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

1762.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$137 CHF 113

$30.10 BGN 52.4

356.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 CHF 48.77

$19.62 BGN 34.13

201.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$144 CHF 118

$45.86 BGN 79.8

213.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$174 CHF 143

$47.69 BGN 83.0

264.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,690 CHF 1,392

$518 BGN 902

226.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,471 CHF 1,211

$357 BGN 621

312.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,831 CHF 2,332

$614 BGN 1,069

360.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,065 CHF 3,348

$569 BGN 990

614.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$15.8K CHF 13.0K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

1224.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K CHF 9,812

$959 BGN 1,669

1142.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$8,259 CHF 6,802

$1,704 BGN 2,965

384.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.99

-42.47%

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

Last update for Meilen: 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

Meilen

$1.5K 43.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 75.7% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Meilen

$570 16.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 66.4% $379

Eating Out

Meilen

$486 14.4%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 70.1% $341

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Meilen

$337 10%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 64.6% $217

Clothing & Footwear

Meilen

$231 6.9%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 72.1% $167

Getting Around

Meilen

$145 4.3%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 75.9% $110

Sport & Entertainment

Meilen

$132 3.9%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 67.4% $89

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,690 in Meilen 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 385% higher in Meilen, 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 $122 in Meilen versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $570 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Meilen

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

16:39 4:39 PM

17:39 5:39 PM

1 h ahead of Meilen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,515

8,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Meilen Bansko 1,320 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Meilen
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

Meilen vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,372 in Meilen, $956 in Bansko – roughly 253% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,059 per month in Meilen 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 $122 in Meilen 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 $3,372 in Meilen and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 253%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Meilen at $3,372. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Meilen 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 $3,372 in Meilen. 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, Meilen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.