Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sohar and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,403 in Sohar, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Sohar
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Sohar Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Sohar

🇴🇲 Oman

$1,403

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,403 per month in Sohar vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Sohar $1,403
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,068 per month in Sohar vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Sohar $2,068
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,734 per month in Sohar vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Sohar $2,734
Bansko $1,957

Sohar costs about 45% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Sohar sits 5% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.48 OMR 2.50

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-25.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.49 OMR 7.89

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-56.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.19 OMR 3.54

$9.01 BGN 15.77

2.00%

Cappuccino

$4.77 OMR 1.84

$2.24 BGN 3.92

112.95%

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

$0.64 OMR 0.25

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-57.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 OMR 0.11

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-67.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.24 OMR 5.10

$1.76 BGN 3.07

652.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$14.46 OMR 5.57

$2.00 BGN 3.51

623.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 OMR 0.81

$1.79 BGN 3.14

17.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 OMR 0.43

$0.81 BGN 1.42

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.23 OMR 1.24

$1.52 BGN 2.66

112.50%

Eggs

$2.74 OMR 1.05

$2.30 BGN 4.02

19.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 OMR 5.12

$9.60 BGN 16.81

38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.30 OMR 3.58

$6.32 BGN 11.06

47.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.55 OMR 5.60

$8.64 BGN 15.12

68.40%

Apples (1kg)

$3.22 OMR 1.24

$1.28 BGN 2.24

151.56%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 OMR 0.84

$1.68 BGN 2.95

30.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 OMR 0.96

$1.70 BGN 2.98

46.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 OMR 0.47

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-35.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 OMR 0.67

$0.93 BGN 1.63

87.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 OMR 0.69

$0.76 BGN 1.32

135.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 OMR 0.66

$0.54 BGN 0.95

214.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 OMR 0.35

$0.58 BGN 1.02

55.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.83 OMR 2.25

$3.44 BGN 6.02

69.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$25.80 OMR 9.93

$5.14 BGN 9.00

401.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.79 OMR 1.46

$1.11 BGN 1.94

241.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.71 OMR 3.35

$1.70 BGN 2.97

412.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.63 OMR 1.01

$0.88 BGN 1.55

198.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$51.1 OMR 19.65

$26.76 BGN 46.83

90.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 OMR 1.23

$1.29 BGN 2.26

147.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 OMR 0.61

$0.65 BGN 1.14

143.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.21 OMR 3.93

$10.18 BGN 17.81

0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 OMR 0.23

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-60.00%

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

$18.4K OMR 7,101

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-35.98%

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

$20.3K OMR 7,830

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

-5.20%

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

$102 OMR 39.41

$91.4 BGN 160

11.93%

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

$29.06 OMR 11.19

$14.68 BGN 25.68

97.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$90.2 OMR 34.72

$12.07 BGN 21.12

647.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.40 OMR 19.02

$32.28 BGN 56.5

53.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

Cinema Ticket

$11.56 OMR 4.45

$5.63 BGN 9.86

105.33%

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

$303 OMR 117

$228 BGN 400

32.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,070 OMR 2,722

$2,311 BGN 4,045

205.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.1 OMR 19.30

$30.48 BGN 53.3

64.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.95 OMR 16.92

$19.01 BGN 33.26

131.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 OMR 30.18

$45.53 BGN 79.7

72.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.23 OMR 17.80

$48.67 BGN 85.2

-5.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$503 OMR 194

$521 BGN 913

-3.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$378 OMR 146

$367 BGN 643

2.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 OMR 319

$634 BGN 1,110

30.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$665 OMR 256

$558 BGN 976

19.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,178 OMR 454

$1,204 BGN 2,106

-2.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$765 OMR 295

$971 BGN 1,699

-21.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,514 OMR 968

$1,670 BGN 2,923

50.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.33

2.99

111.71%

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

Last update for Sohar: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sohar

$378 26.5%

Bansko

$367 38% 2.8% $11

Groceries & Markets

Sohar

$346 24.3%

Bansko

$193 20% 44.2% $153

Eating Out

Sohar

$235 16.5%

Bansko

$145 15% 38.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sohar

$222 15.6%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 46.7% $103

Clothing & Footwear

Sohar

$98 6.9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 34.3% $34

Getting Around

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 52% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Sohar

$73 5.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 40% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $503 in Sohar versus $521 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 51% higher in Sohar, 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 $20.00 in Sohar versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $346 in Sohar vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇴🇲 Sohar

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

06:47 6:47 AM

05:47 5:47 AM

1 h behind Sohar

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

221,605

8,000

💱 Currency

Omani Rial OMR ر.ع.

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 OMR = 2.6 USD

1 OMR = 2.32 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to OMR – Omani Rial Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇴🇲 Omani Rial (ر.ع.)

Omani Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.385 OMR (1 OMR = 2.6 USD). 1 EUR = 0.432 OMR (1 OMR = 2.32 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to OMR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sohar Bansko 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Sohar
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

Sohar vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,403 in Sohar, $970 in Bansko – roughly 45% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,104 per month in Sohar and $1,455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Sohar and $47.00 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 $1,403 in Sohar and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 45%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Sohar at $1,403. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sohar 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,403 in Sohar. 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, Sohar makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.