Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Staefa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $965 a month against $3,334 in Staefa, rent and utilities included – about $28,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Staefa
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Staefa Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Staefa

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,334

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,334 per month in Staefa vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

Staefa $3,334
Bansko $965

A couple spends around $5,350 per month in Staefa vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

Staefa $5,350
Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $7,365 per month in Staefa vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

Staefa $7,365
Bansko $1,998

Staefa costs about 246% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Staefa sits 146% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$32.82 CHF 27.03

$8.74 BGN 15.20

275.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$121 CHF 99.3

$46.37 BGN 80.7

159.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.37 CHF 13.49

$8.92 BGN 15.52

83.52%

Cappuccino

$6.22 CHF 5.12

$2.27 BGN 3.94

174.01%

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

$5.88 CHF 4.84

$1.57 BGN 2.73

274.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CHF 4.12

$0.89 BGN 1.54

461.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.26 CHF 6.80

$1.73 BGN 3.01

377.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.41 CHF 6.93

$1.95 BGN 3.39

331.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CHF 1.84

$1.79 BGN 3.11

24.58%

White Bread (500g)

$3.45 CHF 2.84

$0.81 BGN 1.42

325.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.77 CHF 3.11

$1.51 BGN 2.62

149.67%

Eggs

$8.37 CHF 6.90

$2.35 BGN 4.09

256.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$26.91 CHF 22.17

$9.55 BGN 16.61

181.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$25.91 CHF 21.34

$6.63 BGN 11.54

290.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$55.2 CHF 45.46

$8.37 BGN 14.57

559.38%

Apples (1kg)

$3.47 CHF 2.86

$1.30 BGN 2.26

166.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.75 CHF 2.27

$1.68 BGN 2.93

63.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.58 CHF 2.95

$1.68 BGN 2.92

113.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.48 CHF 3.69

$1.92 BGN 3.34

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.49 CHF 2.05

$0.94 BGN 1.63

164.89%

Onion (1kg)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$0.75 BGN 1.31

204.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CHF 2.05

$0.59 BGN 1.02

320.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 CHF 1.06

$0.58 BGN 1.02

122.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.79 CHF 8.88

$3.26 BGN 5.67

230.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.68 CHF 11.27

$5.20 BGN 9.04

163.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 CHF 2.26

$1.14 BGN 1.98

140.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 CHF 2.64

$1.74 BGN 3.03

84.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.37 CHF 3.60

$0.90 BGN 1.57

385.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$100 CHF 82.5

$26.72 BGN 46.50

274.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.40 CHF 6.10

$1.30 BGN 2.26

469.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$0.61 BGN 1.06

675.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$87.0 CHF 71.7

$10.29 BGN 17.91

745.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 CHF 1.93

$1.56 BGN 2.71

50.00%

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

$39.6K CHF 32.6K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

35.93%

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

$39.5K CHF 32.5K

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

85.07%

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

$236 CHF 194

$92.8 BGN 161

154.26%

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

$31.65 CHF 26.06

$15.05 BGN 26.18

110.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.5 CHF 46.52

$12.19 BGN 21.21

363.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$79.0 CHF 65.1

$32.83 BGN 57.1

140.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$44.96 CHF 37.03

$8.40 BGN 14.61

435.24%

Cinema Ticket

$22.08 CHF 18.18

$5.56 BGN 9.67

297.12%

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

$2,812 CHF 2,316

$230 BGN 400

1124.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$42.2K CHF 34.7K

$2,295 BGN 3,994

1736.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$138 CHF 113

$30.31 BGN 52.7

354.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.9 CHF 49.37

$19.41 BGN 33.78

208.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$147 CHF 121

$45.34 BGN 78.9

224.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$171 CHF 141

$48.47 BGN 84.3

252.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,581 CHF 1,302

$514 BGN 894

207.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 CHF 1,138

$361 BGN 627

283.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,894 CHF 2,383

$630 BGN 1,096

359.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,779 CHF 2,289

$571 BGN 993

387.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$17.3K CHF 14.3K

$1,202 BGN 2,091

1341.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$14.1K CHF 11.6K

$972 BGN 1,691

1346.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 BGN 2,898

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.72

2.99

-42.47%

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

Last update for Staefa: October 20, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Staefa

$1.4K 41.4%

Bansko

$361 37.4% 73.9% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Staefa

$637 19.1%

Bansko

$194 20.2% 69.5% $442

Eating Out

Staefa

$488 14.6%

Bansko

$146 15.2% 70% $342

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Staefa

$324 9.7%

Bansko

$120 12.5% 63% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Staefa

$232 7%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 72.2% $168

Getting Around

Staefa

$149 4.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 76.7% $114

Sport & Entertainment

Staefa

$123 3.7%

Bansko

$44 4.6% 64.3% $79

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,581 in Staefa versus $514 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $121 in Staefa versus $46.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $637 vs $194 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Staefa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:15 3:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

1 h ahead of Staefa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

11,567

8,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Staefa Bansko 1,310 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Staefa
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

Staefa vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,334 in Staefa, $965 in Bansko – roughly 246% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,002 per month in Staefa and $1,447 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 $121 in Staefa and $46.00 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 $3,334 in Staefa and $965 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 246%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Staefa at $3,334. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Staefa 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 $965 in Bansko to $3,334 in Staefa. 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, Staefa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.