Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Plzen and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,768 in Plzen, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Plzen
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Plzen Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Plzen

🇨🇿 Czech Republic

$1,768

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,768 per month in Plzen vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Plzen $1,768
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,468 per month in Plzen vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Plzen $2,468
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $3,168 per month in Plzen vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Plzen $3,168
Bansko $1,957

Plzen costs about 82% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Plzen sits 32% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.43 Kč 248

$8.66 BGN 15.15

31.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.7 Kč 1,101

$46.63 BGN 81.6

8.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.33 Kč 203

$9.01 BGN 15.77

3.55%

Cappuccino

$3.01 Kč 65.3

$2.24 BGN 3.92

34.37%

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

$2.01 Kč 43.75

$1.50 BGN 2.63

34.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 Kč 38.27

$0.86 BGN 1.51

104.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.71 Kč 58.9

$1.76 BGN 3.07

53.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.73 Kč 59.4

$2.00 BGN 3.51

36.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 Kč 24.80

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-36.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 Kč 34.41

$0.81 BGN 1.42

95.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.98 Kč 64.8

$1.52 BGN 2.66

96.05%

Eggs

$3.85 Kč 83.6

$2.30 BGN 4.02

67.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 Kč 295

$9.60 BGN 16.81

41.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.04 Kč 218

$6.32 BGN 11.06

58.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.29 Kč 354

$8.64 BGN 15.12

88.54%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 Kč 45.88

$1.28 BGN 2.24

64.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 Kč 39.55

$1.68 BGN 2.95

8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 Kč 46.23

$1.70 BGN 2.98

25.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.56 Kč 77.3

$1.89 BGN 3.30

88.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.62

$0.93 BGN 1.63

31.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 Kč 26.41

$0.76 BGN 1.32

60.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Kč 34.36

$0.54 BGN 0.95

192.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 Kč 18.15

$0.58 BGN 1.02

44.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.78 Kč 147

$3.44 BGN 6.02

97.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.93 Kč 151

$5.14 BGN 9.00

34.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 Kč 30.81

$1.11 BGN 1.94

27.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 Kč 37.85

$1.70 BGN 2.97

2.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.32 Kč 28.64

$0.88 BGN 1.55

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.88 Kč 606

$26.76 BGN 46.83

4.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 Kč 46.08

$1.29 BGN 2.26

64.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 Kč 29.31

$0.65 BGN 1.14

107.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.74 Kč 299

$10.18 BGN 17.81

34.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 Kč 39.75

$1.50 BGN 2.63

22.00%

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

$29.9K Kč 650.8K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

3.96%

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

$29.6K Kč 643.4K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

38.03%

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

$278 Kč 6,043

$91.4 BGN 160

204.13%

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

$16.66 Kč 362

$14.68 BGN 25.68

13.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.56 Kč 360

$12.07 BGN 21.12

37.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.7 Kč 1,320

$32.28 BGN 56.5

88.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.41 Kč 313

$8.60 BGN 15.05

67.56%

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 Kč 251

$5.63 BGN 9.86

105.33%

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

$334 Kč 7,256

$228 BGN 400

46.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K Kč 233.1K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

364.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.7 Kč 1,732

$30.48 BGN 53.3

161.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.03 Kč 957

$19.01 BGN 33.26

131.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 Kč 1,890

$45.53 BGN 79.7

90.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$112 Kč 2,441

$48.67 BGN 85.2

130.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 Kč 15.6K

$521 BGN 913

37.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$704 Kč 15.3K

$367 BGN 643

91.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$951 Kč 20.7K

$634 BGN 1,110

50.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$935 Kč 20.3K

$558 BGN 976

67.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,989 Kč 108.4K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

314.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,211 Kč 91.5K

$971 BGN 1,699

333.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 Kč 41.2K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

13.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.8

2.99

60.54%

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

Last update for Plzen: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Plzen

$704 39.9%

Bansko

$367 38% 47.8% $337

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Plzen

$311 17.6%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 62% $193

Groceries & Markets

Plzen

$289 16.4%

Bansko

$193 20% 33.2% $96

Eating Out

Plzen

$190 10.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 23.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Plzen

$145 8.2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 55.5% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Plzen

$84 4.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 48.1% $40

Getting Around

Plzen

$42 2.4%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 17% $7.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $719 in Plzen versus $521 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 14% higher in Plzen, 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 $51.0 in Plzen versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇿 Plzen

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

05:22 5:22 AM

1 h ahead of Plzen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,951

8,000

💱 Currency

Czech Koruna CZK Kč

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 CZK = 4.6 USD

100 CZK = 4.1 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CZK – Czech Koruna Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇿 Czech Koruna (Kč)

Czech Koruna exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 21.73 CZK (100 CZK = 4.6 USD). 1 EUR = 24.37 CZK (100 CZK = 4.1 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to CZK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Plzen Bansko 1,180 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Plzen
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

Plzen vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,768 in Plzen, $970 in Bansko – roughly 82% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,651 per month in Plzen and $1,455 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 $51.0 in Plzen and $47.00 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 $1,768 in Plzen and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 82%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Plzen at $1,768. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Plzen 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,768 in Plzen. 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, Plzen makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.