Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Juan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in San Juan: $749 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in San Juan
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San Juan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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San Juan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$749

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $749 per month in San Juan vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

San Juan $749
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,101 per month in San Juan vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

San Juan $1,101
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,452 per month in San Juan vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

San Juan $1,452
Bansko $1,979

San Juan is about 22% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both San Juan and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – San Juan 45% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.05 ₱255

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-53.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.88 ₱1,063

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-62.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.82 ₱177

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-67.88%

Cappuccino

$2.76 ₱174

$2.33 BGN 4.05

18.45%

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

$0.66 ₱41.32

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-57.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ₱19.49

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-62.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.07 ₱67.3

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-36.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 ₱98.5

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-21.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 ₱107

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-2.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 ₱70.5

$0.80 BGN 1.40

40.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 ₱52.7

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-41.67%

Eggs

$1.82 ₱114

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-22.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.24 ₱330

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-44.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 ₱218

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-46.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.21 ₱454

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-14.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 ₱146

$1.31 BGN 2.28

77.10%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ₱85.9

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-16.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.33 ₱147

$1.73 BGN 3.01

34.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱66.8

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-45.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 ₱107

$0.94 BGN 1.63

79.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.74 ₱110

$0.76 BGN 1.32

128.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ₱42.19

$0.55 BGN 0.95

21.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 ₱61.3

$0.59 BGN 1.02

64.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 ₱171

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-16.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.79 ₱490

$5.20 BGN 9.05

49.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 ₱58.0

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-15.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 ₱116

$1.68 BGN 2.92

9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.26 ₱16.26

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-69.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.14 ₱765

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-55.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 ₱49.73

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-41.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ₱14.52

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-64.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.95 ₱123

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-80.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱77.8

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-16.22%

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

$21.0K ₱1.3M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-28.02%

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

$19.0K ₱1.2M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-9.37%

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

$141 ₱8,881

$92.4 BGN 161

52.54%

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

$14.25 ₱898

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-1.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.38 ₱1,536

$12.32 BGN 21.43

97.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.07 ₱1,894

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-5.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.41 ₱278

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-48.30%

Cinema Ticket

$5.07 ₱319

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-9.79%

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

$74.3 ₱4,679

$230 BGN 401

-67.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,556 ₱161.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

12.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.32 ₱1,847

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.71 ₱1,241

$19.62 BGN 34.13

0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.1 ₱4,541

$45.86 BGN 79.8

57.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$56.8 ₱3,575

$47.69 BGN 83.0

19.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$303 ₱19.1K

$518 BGN 902

-41.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱10.9K

$357 BGN 621

-51.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 ₱32.4K

$614 BGN 1,069

-16.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₱19.0K

$569 BGN 990

-47.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,681 ₱168.9K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

125.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ₱70.2K

$959 BGN 1,669

16.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$243 ₱15.3K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-85.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

2.99

125.75%

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

Last update for San Juan: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Juan

$180 24%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 33.6% $60

Groceries & Markets

San Juan

$175 23.3%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 9.9% $17

Accommodation & Living

San Juan

$173 23.1%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 106% $184

Eating Out

San Juan

$86 11.5%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 68.5% $59

Clothing & Footwear

San Juan

$80 10.7%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 19.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

San Juan

$40 5.4%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 6.8% $2.7

Getting Around

San Juan

$15 2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 132% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $303 in San Juan 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 600% 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 $17.00 in San Juan versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $175 vs $192 – making San Juan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 San Juan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

18:50 6:50 PM

5 h behind San Juan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

126,347

8,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Juan Bansko 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

San Juan
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

San Juan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $749 in San Juan, $956 in Bansko – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,124 per month in San Juan 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 San Juan, 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 $17.00 in San Juan 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 $749 in San Juan and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 28%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in San Juan, where all-in costs run around $749, than in Bansko at $956. In San Juan 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 $749 in San Juan to $956 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 San Juan. 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.