Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,024

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,024 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,024
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,089 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,089
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $4,154 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,154
Bansko $1,957

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 109% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador sits 51% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.33 CA$24.66

$8.66 BGN 15.15

100.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$70.3 CA$99.9

$46.63 BGN 81.6

50.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.74 CA$16.70

$9.01 BGN 15.77

30.30%

Cappuccino

$4.07 CA$5.79

$2.24 BGN 3.92

81.70%

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

$2.58 CA$3.66

$1.50 BGN 2.63

72.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 CA$3.04

$0.86 BGN 1.51

148.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.98 CA$7.08

$1.76 BGN 3.07

182.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.23 CA$7.44

$2.00 BGN 3.51

161.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 CA$4.29

$1.79 BGN 3.14

68.72%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 CA$4.27

$0.81 BGN 1.42

270.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.14 CA$5.90

$1.52 BGN 2.66

172.37%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.39

$2.30 BGN 4.02

64.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.44 CA$16.27

$9.60 BGN 16.81

19.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.05 CA$18.56

$6.32 BGN 11.06

106.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.78 CA$16.76

$8.64 BGN 15.12

36.34%

Apples (1kg)

$4.72 CA$6.71

$1.28 BGN 2.24

268.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.91 CA$4.14

$1.68 BGN 2.95

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.78 CA$6.80

$1.70 BGN 2.98

181.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.17

$1.89 BGN 3.30

55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.76

$0.93 BGN 1.63

183.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.17 CA$3.08

$0.76 BGN 1.32

185.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.74 CA$3.89

$0.54 BGN 0.95

407.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 CA$2.80

$0.58 BGN 1.02

239.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.42 CA$19.09

$3.44 BGN 6.02

290.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.45 CA$21.98

$5.14 BGN 9.00

200.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.09 CA$5.81

$1.11 BGN 1.94

268.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.18 CA$5.95

$1.70 BGN 2.97

145.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.78 CA$2.54

$0.88 BGN 1.55

102.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 CA$77.3

$26.76 BGN 46.83

103.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 CA$4.36

$1.29 BGN 2.26

137.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 CA$2.52

$0.65 BGN 1.14

172.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.99 CA$41.23

$10.18 BGN 17.81

184.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 CA$1.90

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-11.33%

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

$27.5K CA$39.1K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-4.52%

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

$21.5K CA$30.6K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

0.21%

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

$177 CA$252

$91.4 BGN 160

93.76%

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

$40.72 CA$57.9

$14.68 BGN 25.68

177.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$75.4 CA$107

$12.07 BGN 21.12

524.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.0 CA$93.8

$32.28 BGN 56.5

104.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.35 CA$26.10

$8.60 BGN 15.05

113.37%

Cinema Ticket

$10.47 CA$14.89

$5.63 BGN 9.86

85.97%

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

$530 CA$754

$228 BGN 400

132.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,977 CA$14.2K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

331.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 CA$92.9

$30.48 BGN 53.3

114.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.72 CA$70.7

$19.01 BGN 33.26

161.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.8 CA$111

$45.53 BGN 79.7

70.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.3 CA$133

$48.67 BGN 85.2

91.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 CA$1,387

$521 BGN 913

86.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$790 CA$1,124

$367 BGN 643

115.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,541 CA$2,192

$634 BGN 1,110

143.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,369 CA$1,947

$558 BGN 976

145.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,973 CA$2,807

$1,204 BGN 2,106

63.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,531 CA$2,177

$971 BGN 1,699

57.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,734 CA$3,889

$1,670 BGN 2,923

63.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

2.99

52.84%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: 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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$790 38.4%

Bansko

$367 38% 53.5% $423

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$408 19.8%

Bansko

$193 20% 52.7% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$293 14.3%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 59.7% $175

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$277 13.5%

Bansko

$145 15% 47.5% $132

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$129 6.3%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 49.8% $64

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$87 4.2%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 49.9% $43

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$73 3.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 52.5% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $975 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 64% higher in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, 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 $70.0 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $408 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

04:26 4:26 AM

5 h 30 min ahead of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

8,000

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.703 USD

1 CAD = 0.627 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.42 CAD (1 CAD = 0.703 USD). 1 EUR = 1.6 CAD (1 CAD = 0.627 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 CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Bansko 5,810 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, $970 in Bansko – roughly 109% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,036 per month in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $70.0 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 109%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador at $2,024. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $2,024 in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.