Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shiraz and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Shiraz: $544 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Shiraz, Iran
Bansko, Bulgaria
Shiraz
🇮🇷 Iran
$544
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$968
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $544 per month in Shiraz vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Shiraz $544
  • Bansko $968

A couple spends around $813 per month in Shiraz vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Shiraz $813
  • Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,082 per month in Shiraz vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Shiraz $1,082
  • Bansko $1,989

Shiraz is about 44% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Shiraz and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Shiraz 60% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.46 $4.46
$8.83 BGN 15.37
-49.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$12.88 $12.88
$45.43 BGN 79.1
-71.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.12 $4.12
$8.92 BGN 15.52
-53.81%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.97 $0.97
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.70 $1.70
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.21 $1.21
$2.33 BGN 4.06
-48.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.60 $0.60
$1.49 BGN 2.60
-59.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.83 BGN 1.44
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.75 BGN 3.05
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.01 BGN 3.49
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.67 $0.67
$1.72 BGN 3.00
-61.05%
White Bread (500g)
$0.45 $0.45
$0.86 BGN 1.49
-47.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.88 $1.88
$1.46 BGN 2.55
28.77%
Eggs
$1.19 $1.19
$2.33 BGN 4.06
-48.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.25 $2.25
$9.54 BGN 16.60
-76.42%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.94 $2.94
$6.30 BGN 10.96
-53.33%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.02 $10.02
$8.64 BGN 15.04
15.97%
Apples (1kg)
$1.12 $1.12
$1.32 BGN 2.29
-15.15%
Banana (1kg)
$1.56 $1.56
$1.65 BGN 2.86
-5.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.90 $0.90
$1.74 BGN 3.02
-48.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.59 $0.59
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-69.59%
Potato (1kg)
$0.53 $0.53
$0.95 BGN 1.66
-44.21%
Onion (1kg)
$0.53 $0.53
$0.72 BGN 1.26
-26.39%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.47 $0.47
$0.55 BGN 0.96
-14.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 $0.21
$0.59 BGN 1.03
-64.41%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$0.87 $0.87
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 $0.55
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.74 $1.74
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.97 $2.97
$3.33 BGN 5.79
-10.81%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.08 BGN 8.84
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.12 BGN 1.95
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 BGN 3.01
-
🚌 Getting Around
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.11 $0.11
$0.89 BGN 1.55
-87.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$2.98 $2.98
$27.08 BGN 47.11
-89.00%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.38 $0.38
$1.64 BGN 2.85
-76.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.20 $0.20
$0.91 BGN 1.59
-78.02%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.53 $3.53
$10.00 BGN 17.39
-64.70%
Gasoline (1 liter)
-
$1.50 BGN 2.61
-
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$66.2K $66.2K
$28.6K BGN 49.7K
131.76%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$53.1K $53.1K
$21.2K BGN 36.9K
150.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$23.42 $23.42
$92.5 BGN 161
-74.68%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.07 $2.07
$14.59 BGN 25.39
-85.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$16.82 $16.82
$12.13 BGN 21.11
38.66%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$18.40 $18.40
$31.84 BGN 55.4
-42.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.74 $13.74
$8.46 BGN 14.72
62.41%
Cinema Ticket
$2.04 $2.04
$5.51 BGN 9.59
-62.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$103 $103
$227 BGN 395
-54.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,386 $2,386
$2,311 BGN 4,021
3.28%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.62 $22.62
$30.56 BGN 53.2
-25.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$18.48 $18.48
$18.95 BGN 32.97
-2.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$96.3 $96.3
$45.80 BGN 79.7
110.26%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$54.6 $54.6
$48.28 BGN 84.0
13.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$293 $293
$510 BGN 887
-42.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$219 $219
$364 BGN 634
-39.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$545 $545
$624 BGN 1,085
-12.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$323 $323
$566 BGN 985
-42.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,154 $1,154
$1,166 BGN 2,028
-1.04%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$503 $503
$969 BGN 1,686
-48.14%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shiraz
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$237 $237
$1,680 BGN 2,923
-85.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
24.3
2.99
712.71%

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

Last update for Shiraz: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Shiraz
$219
Bansko
$364 66.2% $145
Groceries & Markets
Shiraz
$103
Bansko
$193 86.6% $90
Clothing & Footwear
Shiraz
$86
Bansko
$65 25.2% $22
Eating Out
Shiraz
$65 *
Bansko
$147 127% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shiraz
$42
Bansko
$119 182% $77
Sport & Entertainment
Shiraz
$22
Bansko
$43 90.6% $20
Getting Around
Shiraz
$4.8
Bansko
$37 669% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Shiraz versus $510 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 in Bansko are about 7.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Shiraz versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $193 – making Shiraz the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇷 Shiraz
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
04:03 4:03 AM
02:33 2:33 AM
1 h 30 min behind Shiraz
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,565,572
8,000
💱 Currency
USD USD
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

USD exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.891 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shiraz Bansko 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Shiraz
  • Bansko

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Shiraz vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Shiraz and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $544 in Shiraz, $968 in Bansko – Shiraz comes out roughly 44% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Shiraz compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $815 per month in Shiraz and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Shiraz and Bansko?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shiraz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $510 in Bansko.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Shiraz and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Shiraz or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $544 in Shiraz and $968 in Bansko. That makes Shiraz about 44% cheaper.
Where should families live: Shiraz or Bansko?
Families tend to lean toward Shiraz – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Is Shiraz or Bansko safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Shiraz and Bansko?
If budget matters most, go with Shiraz. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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