Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenyang and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Shenyang: $718 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Shenyang
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Shenyang Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Shenyang

🇨🇳 China

$718

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $718 per month in Shenyang vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Shenyang $718
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,071 per month in Shenyang vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Shenyang $1,071
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,424 per month in Shenyang vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Shenyang $1,424
Bansko $1,979

Shenyang is about 25% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shenyang and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Shenyang 47% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.00 ¥20.07

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-65.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.24 ¥149

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-50.51%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.08 ¥33.98

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-42.14%

Cappuccino

$2.46 ¥16.45

$2.33 BGN 4.05

5.58%

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

$0.47 ¥3.17

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-70.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ¥2.54

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.87 ¥5.79

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-48.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 ¥12.16

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-8.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.73 BGN 3.00

9.25%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ¥16.46

$0.80 BGN 1.40

207.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 ¥7.19

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-25.00%

Eggs

$1.03 ¥6.88

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-56.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.99 ¥80.2

$8.48 BGN 14.76

41.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.78 ¥11.91

$1.31 BGN 2.28

35.88%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-26.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ¥10.23

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-21.13%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ¥4.08

$0.55 BGN 0.95

10.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ¥4.27

$0.59 BGN 1.02

8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.17

$3.25 BGN 5.66

16.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.53 ¥111

$5.20 BGN 9.05

217.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 ¥4.40

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-39.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-35.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.38 ¥2.57

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-54.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.91 ¥86.3

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-52.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ¥9.04

$1.34 BGN 2.34

0.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ¥2.10

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-52.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 ¥19.78

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-70.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ¥8.65

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-12.84%

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

$19.1K ¥127.7K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-34.49%

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

$18.3K ¥122.5K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-12.45%

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

$75.4 ¥504

$92.4 BGN 161

-18.45%

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

$15.87 ¥106

$14.52 BGN 25.26

9.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.87 ¥99.4

$12.32 BGN 21.43

20.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.27 ¥149

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-29.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.79 ¥72.1

$8.53 BGN 14.84

26.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.09 ¥40.75

$5.62 BGN 9.78

8.36%

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

$539 ¥3,606

$230 BGN 401

134.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.3K ¥142.1K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

836.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.49 ¥284

$30.10 BGN 52.4

41.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.5 ¥398

$45.86 BGN 79.8

29.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 ¥465

$47.69 BGN 83.0

45.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 ¥1,850

$518 BGN 902

-46.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 ¥1,619

$357 BGN 621

-32.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$558 ¥3,734

$614 BGN 1,069

-9.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$393 ¥2,625

$569 BGN 990

-31.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 ¥15.2K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

90.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,308 ¥8,745

$959 BGN 1,669

36.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,115 ¥7,454

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-34.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.37

2.99

46.15%

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

Last update for Shenyang: 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

Shenyang

$242 33.7%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 47.4% $115

Groceries & Markets

Shenyang

$160 * 22.3%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 19.7% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenyang

$106 14.8%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 12.4% $13

Eating Out

Shenyang

$80 11.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 81.4% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Shenyang

$77 * 10.8%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 16.5% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Shenyang

$34 4.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 24.6% $8.5

Getting Around

Shenyang

$17 2.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 102% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Shenyang 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 53% 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 $22.00 in Shenyang versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $160 vs $192 – making Shenyang the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenyang

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

00:41 12:41 AM

19:41 7:41 PM

5 h behind Shenyang

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,199,601

8,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 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 CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Shenyang Bansko 7,740 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Shenyang
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

Shenyang vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $718 in Shenyang, $956 in Bansko – roughly 33% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,076 per month in Shenyang 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 Shenyang, 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 $22.00 in Shenyang 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 $718 in Shenyang and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 33%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Shenyang, where all-in costs run around $718, than in Bansko at $956. In Shenyang 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 $718 in Shenyang 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 Shenyang. 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.