Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stara Zagora and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Stara Zagora: $869 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Stara Zagora
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Stara Zagora Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$869

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $869 per month in Stara Zagora vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Stara Zagora $869
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,382 per month in Stara Zagora vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Stara Zagora $1,382
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,896 per month in Stara Zagora vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Stara Zagora $1,896
Bansko $1,979

Stara Zagora is about 9% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Stara Zagora and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Stara Zagora 36% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.29 BGN 17.91

$8.66 BGN 15.06

18.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.8 BGN 90.1

$44.94 BGN 78.2

15.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.97 BGN 15.61

$8.78 BGN 15.28

2.16%

Cappuccino

$2.30 BGN 4.01

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-1.29%

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

$1.56 BGN 2.72

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-0.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.50

$0.82 BGN 1.43

4.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 BGN 3.82

$1.68 BGN 2.92

30.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 BGN 3.36

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-2.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 BGN 2.97

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$0.80 BGN 1.40

1.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.63

$1.44 BGN 2.51

4.86%

Eggs

$2.25 BGN 3.92

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-4.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.04 BGN 15.72

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-3.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 BGN 11.05

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-0.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.15 BGN 14.19

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-3.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.27 BGN 2.21

$1.31 BGN 2.28

-3.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$1.62 BGN 2.82

1.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.96

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-1.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.87 BGN 3.25

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-3.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.61

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-1.06%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 BGN 1.08

$0.59 BGN 1.02

5.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.75 BGN 6.53

$3.25 BGN 5.66

15.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 BGN 9.00

$5.20 BGN 9.05

-0.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 BGN 1.91

$1.09 BGN 1.89

0.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.68 BGN 2.92

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 BGN 1.47

$0.84 BGN 1.45

1.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.24 BGN 31.73

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-32.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 BGN 2.23

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-4.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.13

$0.65 BGN 1.14

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.19 BGN 19.48

$10.06 BGN 17.51

11.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 BGN 2.87

$1.48 BGN 2.57

11.49%

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

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

2.73%

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

$22.0K BGN 38.2K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

5.06%

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

$93.8 BGN 163

$92.4 BGN 161

1.45%

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

$14.89 BGN 25.91

$14.52 BGN 25.26

2.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.17 BGN 21.18

$12.32 BGN 21.43

-1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.16 BGN 47.26

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-14.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.15 BGN 36.80

$8.53 BGN 14.84

147.95%

Cinema Ticket

$8.94 BGN 15.55

$5.62 BGN 9.78

59.07%

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

$228 BGN 396

$230 BGN 401

-1.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,259 BGN 3,930

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-0.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.12 BGN 52.4

$30.10 BGN 52.4

0.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.54 BGN 34.01

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-0.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.3 BGN 114

$45.86 BGN 79.8

42.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$50.7 BGN 88.2

$47.69 BGN 83.0

6.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$288 BGN 501

$518 BGN 902

-44.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$252 BGN 438

$357 BGN 621

-29.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 BGN 860

$614 BGN 1,069

-19.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$402 BGN 699

$569 BGN 990

-29.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 BGN 2,491

$1,191 BGN 2,073

20.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,038 BGN 1,805

$959 BGN 1,669

8.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,080 BGN 1,880

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-36.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

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

Last update for Stara Zagora: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stara Zagora

$252 29%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 41.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

Stara Zagora

$189 21.8%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 1.4% $2.7

Eating Out

Stara Zagora

$161 18.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 9.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stara Zagora

$121 13.9%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 1.3% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Stara Zagora

$75 8.6%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 13.5% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Stara Zagora

$45 5.2%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 4.6% $2.1

Getting Around

Stara Zagora

$26 3%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 33.9% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $288 in Stara Zagora 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 58% 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 $52.0 in Stara Zagora versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Stara Zagora vs $192 in Bansko – so Stara Zagora wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Stara Zagora

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

04:44 4:44 AM

Same time as Stara Zagora

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

149,266

8,000

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Stara Zagora Bansko 190 km

From you

Stara Zagora
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

Stara Zagora vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $869 in Stara Zagora, $956 in Bansko – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,304 per month in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora, 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 $52.0 in Stara Zagora 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 $869 in Stara Zagora and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 10%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Stara Zagora, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Bansko at $956. In Stara Zagora 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 $869 in Stara Zagora 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 Stara Zagora. 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.