Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Port Elizabeth and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Port Elizabeth
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Port Elizabeth Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Port Elizabeth

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,233

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,233 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,233
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,847 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $1,847
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,461 per month in Port Elizabeth vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Port Elizabeth $2,461
Bansko $1,957

Port Elizabeth costs about 27% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Port Elizabeth and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Port Elizabeth 8% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 R 175

$8.66 BGN 15.15

22.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 R 707

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-8.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.02 R 99.3

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-33.19%

Cappuccino

$2.12 R 35.03

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-5.36%

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

$1.04 R 17.24

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-30.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R 11.93

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-16.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R 45.50

$1.76 BGN 3.07

56.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.5

$2.00 BGN 3.51

53.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R 18.74

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-36.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 R 17.10

$0.81 BGN 1.42

28.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R 23.78

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-5.26%

Eggs

$2.81 R 46.33

$2.30 BGN 4.02

22.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.58 R 142

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-10.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.47 R 90.2

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-13.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.28 R 137

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-4.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.80

$1.28 BGN 2.24

64.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.46

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.56

$1.70 BGN 2.98

-5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.43

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-5.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.56

$0.93 BGN 1.63

86.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 R 23.46

$0.76 BGN 1.32

86.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.27

$0.54 BGN 0.95

138.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 R 16.70

$0.58 BGN 1.02

74.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.13 R 51.6

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-9.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.82 R 79.6

$5.14 BGN 9.00

-6.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 R 20.63

$1.11 BGN 1.94

12.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 R 30.06

$1.70 BGN 2.97

7.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.09 R 17.96

$0.88 BGN 1.55

23.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 R 595

$26.76 BGN 46.83

34.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.12 R 35.03

$1.29 BGN 2.26

64.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.50 R 8.20

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-23.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.45 R 139

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-16.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 R 23.86

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-3.33%

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

$35.4K R 584.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

22.92%

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

$34.0K R 561.2K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

58.56%

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

$123 R 2,024

$91.4 BGN 160

34.16%

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

$35.08 R 579

$14.68 BGN 25.68

138.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.22 R 746

$12.07 BGN 21.12

274.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.88 R 526

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-1.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.73 R 375

$8.60 BGN 15.05

164.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.61 R 175

$5.63 BGN 9.86

88.45%

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

$176 R 2,902

$228 BGN 400

-23.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,192 R 102.2K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

167.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 R 1,164

$30.48 BGN 53.3

131.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.27 R 631

$19.01 BGN 33.26

101.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 R 1,807

$45.53 BGN 79.7

140.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.5 R 1,593

$48.67 BGN 85.2

98.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 R 10.1K

$521 BGN 913

17.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,891

$367 BGN 643

13.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$805 R 13.3K

$634 BGN 1,110

26.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$689 R 11.4K

$558 BGN 976

23.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$750 R 12.4K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

-37.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$531 R 8,754

$971 BGN 1,699

-45.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,612 R 26.6K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-3.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.94

2.99

299.33%

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

Last update for Port Elizabeth: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Port Elizabeth

$418 34.4%

Bansko

$367 38% 12.1% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Port Elizabeth

$203 16.7%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 41.8% $85

Groceries & Markets

Port Elizabeth

$197 16.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 1.8% $3.6

Eating Out

Port Elizabeth

$155 12.8%

Bansko

$145 15% 6.5% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Port Elizabeth

$142 11.7%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 54.4% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Port Elizabeth

$53 4.4%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 18% $9.6

Getting Around

Port Elizabeth

$45 3.7%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 22.6% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $612 in Port Elizabeth 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 4% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43.00 in Port Elizabeth versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Port Elizabeth vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

16:50 4:50 PM

1 h ahead of Port Elizabeth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,050,000

8,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 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 = 0.51 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Port Elizabeth Bansko 8,430 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Port Elizabeth
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

Port Elizabeth vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,233 in Port Elizabeth, $970 in Bansko – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,849 per month in Port Elizabeth 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 $43.00 in Port Elizabeth 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 $1,233 in Port Elizabeth and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 27%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Port Elizabeth at $1,233. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Elizabeth it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Port Elizabeth has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,233 in Port Elizabeth. 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, Port Elizabeth makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.