Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mersa Matruh and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Mersa Matruh: $457 a month against $965 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Mersa Matruh
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Mersa Matruh Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Mersa Matruh

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $457 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $457
Bansko $965

A couple spends around $749 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $749
Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $1,040 per month in Mersa Matruh vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

Mersa Matruh $1,040
Bansko $1,998

Mersa Matruh is about 53% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mersa Matruh and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Mersa Matruh 66% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 E£234

$8.74 BGN 15.29

-51.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.05 E£1,062

$46.37 BGN 81.1

-58.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.72 E£264

$8.92 BGN 15.61

-47.09%

Cappuccino

$1.27 E£70.6

$2.27 BGN 3.97

-44.05%

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

$0.33 E£18.14

$1.57 BGN 2.75

-78.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 E£6.01

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-87.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.36 E£75.8

$1.73 BGN 3.03

-21.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 E£156

$1.95 BGN 3.41

43.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 E£48.65

$1.79 BGN 3.12

-51.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 E£37.07

$0.81 BGN 1.43

-18.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 E£36.07

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-56.95%

Eggs

$1.19 E£66.1

$2.35 BGN 4.11

-49.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.80 E£212

$9.55 BGN 16.71

-60.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 E£237

$6.63 BGN 11.60

-36.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 E£515

$8.37 BGN 14.65

10.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.54 E£86.1

$1.30 BGN 2.28

18.46%

Banana (1kg)

$0.75 E£41.82

$1.68 BGN 2.94

-55.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.55 E£30.85

$1.68 BGN 2.94

-67.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.35 E£19.76

$1.92 BGN 3.35

-81.77%

Potato (1kg)

$0.26 E£14.59

$0.94 BGN 1.64

-72.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.30 E£16.70

$0.75 BGN 1.32

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.27 E£15.19

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-54.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.22 E£11.99

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.85 E£103

$3.26 BGN 5.70

-43.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.67 E£316

$5.20 BGN 9.09

9.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 E£69.6

$1.14 BGN 1.99

9.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 E£127

$1.74 BGN 3.04

31.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.72

$0.90 BGN 1.58

-76.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.72 BGN 46.76

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.56 E£31.13

$1.30 BGN 2.27

-56.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 E£9.23

$0.61 BGN 1.07

-72.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.20 E£67.1

$10.29 BGN 18.01

-88.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£24.06

$1.56 BGN 2.73

-72.44%

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

$32.5K E£1.8M

$29.1K BGN 51.0K

11.46%

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

$27.1K E£1.5M

$21.3K BGN 37.3K

26.91%

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

$14.05 E£784

$92.8 BGN 162

-84.86%

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

$6.68 E£373

$15.05 BGN 26.33

-55.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.50 E£753

$12.19 BGN 21.33

10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.88 E£885

$32.83 BGN 57.5

-51.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 BGN 14.69

Cinema Ticket

$2.91 E£162

$5.56 BGN 9.72

-47.66%

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

$85.0 E£4,740

$230 BGN 402

-63.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,090 E£116.6K

$2,295 BGN 4,017

-8.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.72 E£1,881

$30.31 BGN 53.0

11.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.91 E£2,560

$19.41 BGN 33.98

136.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 E£7,112

$45.34 BGN 79.3

181.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.4 E£3,202

$48.47 BGN 84.8

18.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$128 E£7,152

$514 BGN 899

-75.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$76.7 E£4,278

$361 BGN 631

-78.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$256 E£14.3K

$630 BGN 1,102

-59.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$144 E£8,048

$571 BGN 999

-74.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$772 E£43.0K

$1,202 BGN 2,103

-35.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$354 E£19.7K

$972 BGN 1,700

-63.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$94.2 E£5,253

$1,665 BGN 2,914

-94.34%

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 Mersa Matruh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mersa Matruh

$126 27.6%

Bansko

$194 20.2% 53.9% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Mersa Matruh

$119 26%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 45.8% $54

Eating Out

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.9%

Bansko

$146 15.2% 89.7% $69

Accommodation & Living

Mersa Matruh

$77 16.8%

Bansko

$361 37.4% 370% $284

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mersa Matruh

$34 7.5%

Bansko

$120 12.5% 251% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Mersa Matruh

$22 4.7%

Bansko

$44 4.6% 103% $22

Getting Around

Mersa Matruh

$2.2 * 0.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 1455% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $128 in Mersa Matruh versus $514 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 18 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Mersa Matruh versus $46 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $126 vs $194 – making Mersa Matruh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Mersa Matruh

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

09:13 9:13 AM

08:13 8:13 AM

1 h behind Mersa Matruh

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.79 USD

100 EGP = 1.6 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 55.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.79 USD). 1 EUR = 62.57 EGP (100 EGP = 1.6 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to EGP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mersa Matruh Bansko 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Mersa Matruh
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

Mersa Matruh vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $457 in Mersa Matruh, $965 in Bansko – roughly 111% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $686 per month in Mersa Matruh and $1,447 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mersa Matruh, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $128 there versus $514 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $457 in Mersa Matruh and $965 in Bansko. That’s a gap of about 111%.

Kindergarten costs $85 per month in Mersa Matruh and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Mersa Matruh, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Bansko at $965. In Mersa Matruh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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