Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shimla and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Shimla: $306 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

15

Cost of Living Index in Shimla
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Shimla Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Shimla

🇮🇳 India

$306

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $306 per month in Shimla vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Shimla $306
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $500 per month in Shimla vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Shimla $500
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $694 per month in Shimla vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Shimla $694
Bansko $1,979

Shimla is about 68% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Shimla and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Shimla 77% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.53 ₹145

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-82.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.60 ₹1,006

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-76.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.11 ₹295

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-64.58%

Cappuccino

$0.90 ₹85.3

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-61.37%

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

$0.35 ₹33.46

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-77.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 ₹10.75

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-86.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 ₹152

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-4.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₹197

$1.98 BGN 3.45

5.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.64 ₹60.5

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-63.01%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 ₹40.15

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.62 ₹59.2

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-56.94%

Eggs

$0.85 ₹80.3

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-63.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.28 ₹406

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-54.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.28 ₹311

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-48.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 ₹171

$1.31 BGN 2.28

37.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.70 ₹66.8

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-56.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.67 ₹64.0

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-61.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.48 ₹45.27

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-75.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.28 ₹26.57

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-70.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.36 ₹34.28

$0.76 BGN 1.32

-52.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.22 ₹20.91

$0.55 BGN 0.95

-60.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₹25.62

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-54.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.49 ₹331

$3.25 BGN 5.66

7.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.35 ₹793

$5.20 BGN 9.05

60.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 ₹140

$1.09 BGN 1.89

35.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.02 ₹192

$1.68 BGN 2.92

20.24%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.77 ₹358

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₹20.92

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-73.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.72 ₹733

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-71.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-19.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 ₹28.25

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-53.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 ₹102

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-89.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ₹102

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-27.70%

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

$8,473 ₹804.6K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-70.93%

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

$17.4K ₹1.7M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-16.59%

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

$18.12 ₹1,721

$92.4 BGN 161

-80.40%

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

$3.04 ₹289

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-79.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.76 ₹642

$12.32 BGN 21.43

-45.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.89 ₹1,319

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-56.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.41 ₹988

$8.53 BGN 14.84

22.04%

Cinema Ticket

$3.07 ₹291

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-45.37%

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

$40.81 ₹3,875

$230 BGN 401

-82.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,117 ₹201.1K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-6.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.09 ₹2,383

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-16.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.45 ₹2,037

$19.62 BGN 34.13

9.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.68 ₹3,674

$45.86 BGN 79.8

-15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.67 ₹2,438

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-46.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$84.2 ₹7,992

$518 BGN 902

-83.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$53.0 ₹5,037

$357 BGN 621

-85.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$199 ₹18.9K

$614 BGN 1,069

-67.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$127 ₹12.1K

$569 BGN 990

-77.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$552 ₹52.4K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

-53.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$553 ₹52.5K

$959 BGN 1,669

-42.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$607 ₹57.7K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-64.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.25

2.99

175.92%

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

Last update for Shimla: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Shimla

$98 31.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 96.1% $94

Accommodation & Living

Shimla

$53 17.3%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 573% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Shimla

$50 16.3%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 29.2% $15

Eating Out

Shimla

$46 15.1%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 214% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shimla

$28 9.1%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 327% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Shimla

$20 6.5%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 115% $23

Getting Around

Shimla

$11 3.7%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 214% $24

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $84.2 in Shimla 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 181% 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 $11.00 in Shimla versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $98.0 vs $192 – making Shimla the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Shimla

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

21:23 9:23 PM

18:53 6:53 PM

2 h 30 min behind Shimla

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

170,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 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 INR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Shimla Bansko 4,860 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Shimla
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

Shimla vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $306 in Shimla, $956 in Bansko – roughly 212% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $459 per month in Shimla 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 Shimla, 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 $11.00 in Shimla 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 $306 in Shimla and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 212%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Shimla, where all-in costs run around $306, than in Bansko at $956. In Shimla 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 $306 in Shimla 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 Shimla. 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.