Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between San Rafael and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,732 in San Rafael, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in San Rafael
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San Rafael Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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San Rafael

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,732

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,732 per month in San Rafael vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

San Rafael $1,732
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in San Rafael vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

San Rafael $2,736
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $3,739 per month in San Rafael vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

San Rafael $3,739
Bansko $1,979

San Rafael costs about 81% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

San Rafael sits 28% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.25 ₡5,496

$8.66 BGN 15.06

41.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.7 ₡27.7K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

37.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 ₡5,119

$8.78 BGN 15.28

30.07%

Cappuccino

$4.40 ₡1,973

$2.33 BGN 4.05

88.84%

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

$2.73 ₡1,225

$1.57 BGN 2.74

73.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₡841

$0.82 BGN 1.43

128.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.37 ₡1,510

$1.68 BGN 2.92

100.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.54 ₡2,038

$1.98 BGN 3.45

129.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.33 ₡1,044

$1.73 BGN 3.00

34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$3.02 ₡1,352

$0.80 BGN 1.40

277.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.42 ₡1,084

$1.44 BGN 2.51

68.06%

Eggs

$3.52 ₡1,580

$2.36 BGN 4.10

49.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.51 ₡4,712

$9.39 BGN 16.34

11.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.25 ₡4,597

$6.41 BGN 11.15

59.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.22 ₡6,378

$8.48 BGN 14.76

67.69%

Apples (1kg)

$5.09 ₡2,282

$1.31 BGN 2.28

288.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 ₡704

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-3.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.68 ₡2,098

$1.73 BGN 3.01

170.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 ₡1,730

$1.94 BGN 3.38

98.97%

Potato (1kg)

$3.88 ₡1,741

$0.94 BGN 1.63

312.77%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 ₡1,653

$0.76 BGN 1.32

385.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 ₡488

$0.55 BGN 0.95

98.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₡1,403

$0.59 BGN 1.02

430.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 ₡2,739

$3.25 BGN 5.66

88.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.14 ₡9,031

$5.20 BGN 9.05

287.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,254

$1.09 BGN 1.89

156.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.58 ₡1,606

$1.68 BGN 2.92

113.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 ₡527

$0.84 BGN 1.45

40.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.51 ₡1,124

$1.34 BGN 2.34

87.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 ₡703

$0.65 BGN 1.14

141.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.48 ₡3,803

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-15.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 ₡692

$1.48 BGN 2.57

4.05%

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

$22.3K ₡10.0M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-23.40%

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

$35.5K ₡15.9M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

69.85%

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

$93.5 ₡41.9K

$92.4 BGN 161

1.14%

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

$36.26 ₡16.3K

$14.52 BGN 25.26

149.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.4 ₡26.2K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

374.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.0 ₡28.3K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

98.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ₡3,362

$5.62 BGN 9.78

33.45%

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

$991 ₡444.6K

$230 BGN 401

330.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K ₡7.5M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

641.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 ₡31.6K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

134.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.6 ₡25.0K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

183.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$129 ₡58.0K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

181.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 ₡59.5K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

178.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$740 ₡332.0K

$518 BGN 902

42.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$649 ₡291.2K

$357 BGN 621

81.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,069 ₡927.9K

$614 BGN 1,069

236.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 ₡571.5K

$569 BGN 990

124.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

2.99

188.29%

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

Last update for San Rafael: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

San Rafael

$649 37.5%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 45% $292

Groceries & Markets

San Rafael

$398 23%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 51.8% $206

Eating Out

San Rafael

$229 13.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 36.6% $84

Monthly Utilities & Internet

San Rafael

$188 10.9%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 36.6% $69

Clothing & Footwear

San Rafael

$175 10.1%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 63.1% $110

Sport & Entertainment

San Rafael

$78 4.5%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 44.9% $35

Getting Around

San Rafael

$15 * 0.9%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 133% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $740 in San Rafael 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $62.0 in San Rafael versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $398 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇷 San Rafael

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

06:28 6:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

9 h ahead of San Rafael

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CRC – Costa Rican Colón Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CRC in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

San Rafael Bansko 10,690 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,732 in San Rafael, $956 in Bansko – roughly 81% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,599 per month in San Rafael 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,732 in San Rafael and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 81%.

Kindergarten costs $991 per month in San Rafael and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in San Rafael at $1,732. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in San Rafael 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 $1,732 in San Rafael. 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, San Rafael makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.