Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Stockholm and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $2,548 in Stockholm, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Stockholm
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Stockholm Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Stockholm

🇸🇪 Sweden

$2,548

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,548 per month in Stockholm vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Stockholm $2,548
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $3,806 per month in Stockholm vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Stockholm $3,806
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $5,064 per month in Stockholm vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Stockholm $5,064
Bansko $1,957

Stockholm costs about 163% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Stockholm sits 90% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.26 SEK 182

$8.66 BGN 15.15

110.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$97.8 SEK 978

$46.63 BGN 81.6

109.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.71 SEK 117

$9.01 BGN 15.77

29.97%

Cappuccino

$4.89 SEK 48.92

$2.24 BGN 3.92

118.30%

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

$3.72 SEK 37.15

$1.50 BGN 2.63

148.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 SEK 30.29

$0.86 BGN 1.51

252.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 SEK 81.5

$1.76 BGN 3.07

363.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.96 SEK 89.5

$2.00 BGN 3.51

348.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 SEK 18.05

$1.79 BGN 3.14

1.12%

White Bread (500g)

$3.84 SEK 38.41

$0.81 BGN 1.42

374.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.75 SEK 37.52

$1.52 BGN 2.66

146.71%

Eggs

$5.04 SEK 50.4

$2.30 BGN 4.02

119.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 SEK 129

$9.60 BGN 16.81

34.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.70 SEK 127

$6.32 BGN 11.06

100.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.70 SEK 217

$8.64 BGN 15.12

151.16%

Apples (1kg)

$3.61 SEK 36.03

$1.28 BGN 2.24

182.03%

Banana (1kg)

$2.80 SEK 27.97

$1.68 BGN 2.95

66.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.14 SEK 31.36

$1.70 BGN 2.98

84.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.36 SEK 43.52

$1.89 BGN 3.30

130.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.70 SEK 16.99

$0.93 BGN 1.63

82.80%

Onion (1kg)

$1.78 SEK 17.83

$0.76 BGN 1.32

134.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.51 SEK 25.06

$0.54 BGN 0.95

364.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 SEK 24.33

$0.58 BGN 1.02

318.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.52 SEK 85.1

$3.44 BGN 6.02

147.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.83 SEK 118

$5.14 BGN 9.00

130.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 SEK 20.29

$1.11 BGN 1.94

82.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 SEK 25.49

$1.70 BGN 2.97

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.31 SEK 43.11

$0.88 BGN 1.55

389.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 SEK 1,059

$26.76 BGN 46.83

296.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.83 SEK 58.3

$1.29 BGN 2.26

351.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 SEK 15.09

$0.65 BGN 1.14

132.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$56.0 SEK 560

$10.18 BGN 17.81

450.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 SEK 17.90

$1.50 BGN 2.63

19.33%

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

$33.3K SEK 332.8K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

15.60%

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

$34.1K SEK 340.4K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

58.78%

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

$248 SEK 2,479

$91.4 BGN 160

171.28%

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

$21.17 SEK 212

$14.68 BGN 25.68

44.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.91 SEK 399

$12.07 BGN 21.12

230.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.51 SEK 475

$32.28 BGN 56.5

47.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.80 SEK 388

$8.60 BGN 15.05

351.16%

Cinema Ticket

$19.19 SEK 192

$5.63 BGN 9.86

240.85%

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

$159 SEK 1,585

$228 BGN 400

-30.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K SEK 163.7K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

608.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$112 SEK 1,119

$30.48 BGN 53.3

267.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.4 SEK 574

$19.01 BGN 33.26

202.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$134 SEK 1,340

$45.53 BGN 79.7

194.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$181 SEK 1,809

$48.67 BGN 85.2

271.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 SEK 16.9K

$521 BGN 913

224.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,088 SEK 10.9K

$367 BGN 643

196.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,985 SEK 29.8K

$634 BGN 1,110

370.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,782 SEK 17.8K

$558 BGN 976

219.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$11.1K SEK 111.4K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

826.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,326 SEK 63.2K

$971 BGN 1,699

551.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,501 SEK 35.0K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

109.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.37

2.99

12.71%

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

Last update for Stockholm: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Stockholm

$1.1K 42.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 66.2% $721

Groceries & Markets

Stockholm

$415 16.1%

Bansko

$193 20% 53.5% $222

Eating Out

Stockholm

$326 12.6%

Bansko

$145 15% 55.3% $180

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Stockholm

$309 12%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 61.8% $191

Clothing & Footwear

Stockholm

$218 8.5%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 70.3% $153

Getting Around

Stockholm

$137 5.3%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 74.5% $102

Sport & Entertainment

Stockholm

$86 3.3%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 49.3% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,694 in Stockholm 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 110% higher in Stockholm, 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 $98.0 in Stockholm versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Stockholm

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h ahead of Stockholm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

984,748 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.01 USD

100 SEK = 8.92 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to SEK – Swedish Krona Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇪 Swedish Krona (kr)

Swedish Krona exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 9.99 SEK (1 SEK = 0.1 USD). 1 EUR = 11.21 SEK (100 SEK = 8.92 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 SEK in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Stockholm Bansko 1,980 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Stockholm
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

Stockholm vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,548 in Stockholm, $970 in Bansko – roughly 163% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,821 per month in Stockholm 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 $98.0 in Stockholm 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 $2,548 in Stockholm and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 163%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Stockholm at $2,548. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Stockholm it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Stockholm has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $2,548 in Stockholm. 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, Stockholm makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.