Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint-Etienne and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,441 in Saint-Etienne, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Saint-Etienne
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Saint-Etienne Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Saint-Etienne

🇫🇷 France

$1,441

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,441 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $1,441
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,272 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $2,272
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $3,103 per month in Saint-Etienne vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Saint-Etienne $3,103
Bansko $1,979

Saint-Etienne costs about 51% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Saint-Etienne sits 7% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.72 €14.88

$8.66 BGN 15.06

93.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$56.6 €50.4

$44.94 BGN 78.2

25.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €11.99

$8.78 BGN 15.28

53.53%

Cappuccino

$2.03 €1.81

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-12.88%

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

$3.45 €3.07

$1.57 BGN 2.74

119.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 €1.44

$0.82 BGN 1.43

97.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.11 €4.55

$1.68 BGN 2.92

204.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.52 €4.91

$1.98 BGN 3.45

178.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-24.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 €1.01

$0.80 BGN 1.40

42.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.44 BGN 2.51

50.69%

Eggs

$3.04 €2.71

$2.36 BGN 4.10

28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.41 €15.49

$9.39 BGN 16.34

85.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.94 €9.73

$6.41 BGN 11.15

70.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.43 €14.61

$8.48 BGN 14.76

93.75%

Apples (1kg)

$3.43 €3.05

$1.31 BGN 2.28

161.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.62 BGN 2.82

61.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.43 €2.17

$1.73 BGN 3.01

40.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.94 BGN 3.38

45.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.42

$0.94 BGN 1.63

70.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.52

$0.76 BGN 1.32

125.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 €1.01

$0.55 BGN 0.95

105.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.59 BGN 1.02

279.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.22 €10.87

$3.25 BGN 5.66

276.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.11 €8.99

$5.20 BGN 9.05

94.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.44 €3.06

$1.09 BGN 1.89

215.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$1.68 BGN 2.92

101.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.81 €1.61

$0.84 BGN 1.45

115.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.38 €35.03

$27.06 BGN 47.09

45.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.34 BGN 2.34

102.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.48 BGN 2.57

39.86%

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

$19.9K €17.7K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-31.55%

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

$32.5K €28.9K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

55.45%

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

$168 €150

$92.4 BGN 161

82.14%

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

$29.15 €25.93

$14.52 BGN 25.26

100.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.79 €16.71

$12.32 BGN 21.43

52.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.48 €27.11

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-3.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.63 €5.90

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-22.27%

Cinema Ticket

$9.90 €8.80

$5.62 BGN 9.78

76.16%

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

$984 €875

$230 BGN 401

327.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

594.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.6 €62.8

$30.10 BGN 52.4

134.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.10 €26.77

$19.62 BGN 34.13

53.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €91.9

$45.86 BGN 79.8

125.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$154 €137

$47.69 BGN 83.0

222.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$526 €468

$518 BGN 902

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 €326

$357 BGN 621

2.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$883 €786

$614 BGN 1,069

43.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 €634

$569 BGN 990

25.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,679 €1,494

$1,191 BGN 2,073

40.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,631 €1,451

$959 BGN 1,669

70.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,205 €1,961

$1,704 BGN 2,965

29.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.67

2.99

22.74%

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

Last update for Saint-Etienne: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint-Etienne

$367 25.5%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 2.7% $10

Groceries & Markets

Saint-Etienne

$342 23.7%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 43.9% $150

Eating Out

Saint-Etienne

$255 17.7%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 43.1% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint-Etienne

$216 15%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 44.9% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Saint-Etienne

$161 11.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 59.9% $96

Sport & Entertainment

Saint-Etienne

$50 3.5%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 14.6% $7.3

Getting Around

Saint-Etienne

$49 * 3.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 29% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $526 in Saint-Etienne 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 29% higher in Saint-Etienne, 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 $57.0 in Saint-Etienne versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $342 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Saint-Etienne

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

07:04 7:04 AM

08:04 8:04 AM

1 h ahead of Saint-Etienne

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,718

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Saint-Etienne Bansko 1,580 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Saint-Etienne
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

Saint-Etienne vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,441 in Saint-Etienne, $956 in Bansko – roughly 51% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,162 per month in Saint-Etienne 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 $57.0 in Saint-Etienne 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 $1,441 in Saint-Etienne and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 51%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Saint-Etienne at $1,441. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint-Etienne 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,441 in Saint-Etienne. 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, Saint-Etienne makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.