Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portsmouth and Bansko

For one person, living costs are similar in Portsmouth and in Bansko: $929 and $970 a month, rent and utilities included.

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Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Portsmouth

🇩🇲 Dominica

$929

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $929 per month in Portsmouth vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Portsmouth $929
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,626 per month in Portsmouth vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Portsmouth $1,626
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,323 per month in Portsmouth vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Portsmouth $2,323
Bansko $1,957

Portsmouth is about 4% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Portsmouth and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Portsmouth 31% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 EC$14.84

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-36.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.2 EC$152

$46.63 BGN 81.6

20.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.83 EC$18.44

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-24.20%

Cappuccino

$2.67 EC$7.20

$2.24 BGN 3.92

19.20%

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

$2.19 EC$5.91

$1.50 BGN 2.63

46.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.05

$0.86 BGN 1.51

117.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 EC$6.84

$1.76 BGN 3.07

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 EC$10.07

$2.00 BGN 3.51

86.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.86 EC$7.72

$1.79 BGN 3.14

59.78%

White Bread (500g)

$2.23 EC$6.03

$0.81 BGN 1.42

175.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 EC$5.43

$1.52 BGN 2.66

32.24%

Eggs

$6.50 EC$17.55

$2.30 BGN 4.02

182.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.66 EC$7.17

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-72.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.48 EC$14.80

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-13.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

Apples (1kg)

$7.21 EC$19.46

$1.28 BGN 2.24

463.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 EC$6.93

$1.68 BGN 2.95

52.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.00 EC$10.81

$1.70 BGN 2.98

135.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.14 EC$11.17

$1.89 BGN 3.30

119.05%

Potato (1kg)

$2.90 EC$7.84

$0.93 BGN 1.63

211.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.78 EC$7.51

$0.76 BGN 1.32

265.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.82 EC$4.91

$0.54 BGN 0.95

237.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 EC$5.13

$0.58 BGN 1.02

227.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

Wine (Bottle)

$11.32 EC$30.56

$5.14 BGN 9.00

120.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 EC$5.06

$1.11 BGN 1.94

68.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 EC$7.20

$1.70 BGN 2.97

57.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 EC$2.03

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.67 EC$9.90

$1.29 BGN 2.26

184.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.68 EC$9.93

$0.65 BGN 1.14

466.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

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

$91.4 BGN 160

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

$40.78 EC$110

$14.68 BGN 25.68

177.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$63.9 EC$172

$12.07 BGN 21.12

429.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.97 EC$99.8

$32.28 BGN 56.5

14.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$11.11 EC$30.01

$5.63 BGN 9.86

97.34%

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

$228 BGN 400

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 EC$151

$30.48 BGN 53.3

83.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.90 EC$64.5

$19.01 BGN 33.26

25.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.0 EC$151

$45.53 BGN 79.7

23.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.9 EC$178

$48.67 BGN 85.2

35.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 EC$696

$521 BGN 913

-50.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 EC$602

$367 BGN 643

-39.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 EC$1,808

$634 BGN 1,110

5.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 EC$1,667

$558 BGN 976

10.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$626 EC$1,691

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-62.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Portsmouth: 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

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$367 38%

Groceries & Markets

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$193 20%

Eating Out

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$145 15%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Clothing & Footwear

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Sport & Entertainment

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Getting Around

Portsmouth

–

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $258 in Portsmouth 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 167% higher in Bansko, 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 $56.0 in Portsmouth versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $290 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇩🇲 Portsmouth

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

07:40 7:40 AM

14:40 2:40 PM

7 h ahead of Portsmouth

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,633

8,000

💱 Currency

East Caribbean Dollar XCD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 XCD = 0.37 USD

1 XCD = 0.331 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to XCD – East Caribbean Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 East Caribbean Dollar ($)

East Caribbean Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2.7 XCD (1 XCD = 0.37 USD). 1 EUR = 3.03 XCD (1 XCD = 0.331 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 XCD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Portsmouth Bansko 8,450 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Portsmouth
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

Portsmouth vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $929 in Portsmouth, $970 in Bansko – roughly 4% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,394 per month in Portsmouth 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 Portsmouth, 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 $56.0 in Portsmouth 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 $929 in Portsmouth and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 4%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Portsmouth, where all-in costs run around $929, than in Bansko at $970. In Portsmouth it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko 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 $929 in Portsmouth to $970 in Bansko. 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 Portsmouth. 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.