Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portmore and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,246 in Portmore, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. The total is higher in Portmore despite lower rent and utilities.

61

Cost of Living Index in Portmore
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Portmore Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Portmore

🇯🇲 Jamaica

$1,246

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,246 per month in Portmore vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Portmore $1,246
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,073 per month in Portmore vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Portmore $2,073
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,900 per month in Portmore vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Portmore $2,900
Bansko $1,979

Portmore costs about 30% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portmore and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Portmore 8% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.15 JMD 1,603

$8.66 BGN 15.06

17.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.3 JMD 10.0K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.04 JMD 1,270

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-8.43%

Cappuccino

$5.43 JMD 859

$2.33 BGN 4.05

133.05%

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

$0.90 JMD 143

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-42.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.66 JMD 104

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 JMD 345

$1.68 BGN 2.92

29.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 JMD 342

$1.98 BGN 3.45

9.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 JMD 478

$1.73 BGN 3.00

74.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.49 JMD 551

$0.80 BGN 1.40

336.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 JMD 161

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-29.17%

Eggs

$3.61 JMD 571

$2.36 BGN 4.10

52.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.52 JMD 1,821

$9.39 BGN 16.34

22.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 JMD 996

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-1.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.43 JMD 1,490

$8.48 BGN 14.76

11.20%

Apples (1kg)

$5.99 JMD 946

$1.31 BGN 2.28

357.25%

Banana (1kg)

$3.93 JMD 620

$1.62 BGN 2.82

142.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.96 JMD 468

$1.73 BGN 3.01

71.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 JMD 476

$1.94 BGN 3.38

55.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 JMD 521

$0.94 BGN 1.63

251.06%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 JMD 411

$0.76 BGN 1.32

242.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.59 JMD 251

$0.55 BGN 0.95

189.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 JMD 199

$0.59 BGN 1.02

113.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.64 JMD 1,523

$3.25 BGN 5.66

196.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.24 JMD 1,776

$5.20 BGN 9.05

116.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 JMD 444

$1.09 BGN 1.89

157.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 JMD 356

$1.68 BGN 2.92

34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 JMD 361

$0.84 BGN 1.45

172.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.2 JMD 7,931

$27.06 BGN 47.09

85.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 JMD 152

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-28.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.09 JMD 488

$0.65 BGN 1.14

375.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.24 JMD 985

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-37.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.18 JMD 187

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-20.27%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.8M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

47.85%

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

$32.3K JMD 5.1M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

54.48%

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

$155 JMD 24.5K

$92.4 BGN 161

67.50%

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

$29.01 JMD 4,583

$14.52 BGN 25.26

99.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.7 JMD 8,322

$12.32 BGN 21.43

327.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.2 JMD 9,503

$31.70 BGN 55.2

89.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$13.38 JMD 2,114

$5.62 BGN 9.78

138.08%

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

$285 JMD 45.1K

$230 BGN 401

23.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,143 JMD 496.5K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

38.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$23.25 JMD 3,674

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-22.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.94 JMD 4,889

$19.62 BGN 34.13

57.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.7 JMD 12.4K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

71.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.5 JMD 14.9K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

98.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$307 JMD 48.6K

$518 BGN 902

-40.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 JMD 34.1K

$357 BGN 621

-39.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 JMD 103.7K

$614 BGN 1,069

6.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$590 JMD 93.3K

$569 BGN 990

3.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,466 JMD 1.2M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

526.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,702 JMD 900.9K

$959 BGN 1,669

494.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,301 JMD 205.5K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-23.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.45

2.99

216.05%

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

Last update for Portmore: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Portmore

$336 27%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 42.9% $144

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portmore

$237 19%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 49.6% $117

Accommodation & Living

Portmore

$216 17.3%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 65.3% $141

Eating Out

Portmore

$192 15.4%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 24.2% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Portmore

$102 8.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 37% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Portmore

$87 7%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 50.6% $44

Getting Around

Portmore

$76 6.1%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 53.8% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $307 in Portmore 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 31% 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 $63.0 in Portmore versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $336 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇲 Portmore

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

23:26 11:26 PM

8 h ahead of Portmore

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Jamaican Dollar JMD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD

1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JMD – Jamaican Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇲 Jamaican Dollar ($)

Jamaican Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JMD (1,000 JMD = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JMD (1,000 JMD = 5.63 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to JMD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Portmore Bansko 9,510 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Portmore
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

Portmore vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,246 in Portmore, $956 in Bansko – roughly 30% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,868 per month in Portmore 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 $63.0 in Portmore 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 $1,246 in Portmore and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 30%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Portmore at $1,246. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Portmore it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Portmore has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Bansko to $1,246 in Portmore. 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, Portmore makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.