Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szolnok and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,106 in Szolnok, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Szolnok
🇭🇺 Hungary
$1,106
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$956
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,106 per month in Szolnok vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Szolnok $1,106
  • Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,692 per month in Szolnok vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Szolnok $1,692
  • Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,278 per month in Szolnok vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Szolnok $2,278
  • Bansko $1,979

Szolnok costs about 16% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Szolnok and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Szolnok 18% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.60 Ft 3,101
$8.66 BGN 15.06
10.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$46.62 Ft 15.1K
$44.94 BGN 78.2
3.74%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.00 Ft 2,585
$8.78 BGN 15.28
-8.88%
Cappuccino
$2.30 Ft 741
$2.33 BGN 4.05
-1.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.01 Ft 648
$1.57 BGN 2.74
28.03%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.19 Ft 386
$0.82 BGN 1.43
45.12%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.55 Ft 823
$1.68 BGN 2.92
51.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.67 Ft 864
$1.98 BGN 3.45
34.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 Ft 297
$1.73 BGN 3.00
-46.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.24 Ft 399
$0.80 BGN 1.40
55.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 Ft 523
$1.44 BGN 2.51
12.50%
Eggs
$3.08 Ft 994
$2.36 BGN 4.10
30.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.29 Ft 2,356
$9.39 BGN 16.34
-22.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.60 Ft 2,132
$6.41 BGN 11.15
2.96%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.28 Ft 4,291
$8.48 BGN 14.76
56.60%
Apples (1kg)
$1.44 Ft 464
$1.31 BGN 2.28
9.92%
Banana (1kg)
$1.74 Ft 562
$1.62 BGN 2.82
7.41%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.52 Ft 492
$1.73 BGN 3.01
-12.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.30 Ft 744
$1.94 BGN 3.38
18.56%
Potato (1kg)
$0.68 Ft 220
$0.94 BGN 1.63
-27.66%
Onion (1kg)
$0.73 Ft 236
$0.76 BGN 1.32
-3.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.02 Ft 330
$0.55 BGN 0.95
85.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.37 Ft 120
$0.59 BGN 1.02
-37.29%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.84 Ft 2,211
$3.25 BGN 5.66
110.46%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.62 Ft 1,168
$5.20 BGN 9.05
-30.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.89 Ft 286
$1.09 BGN 1.89
-18.35%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 Ft 420
$1.68 BGN 2.92
-22.62%
🚌 Getting Around
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.06 Ft 342
$0.84 BGN 1.45
26.19%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.01 Ft 8,402
$27.06 BGN 47.09
-3.88%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.82 Ft 912
$1.34 BGN 2.34
110.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.24 Ft 724
$0.65 BGN 1.14
244.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$14.84 Ft 4,794
$10.06 BGN 17.51
47.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 Ft 588
$1.48 BGN 2.57
22.97%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.5K Ft 8.9M
$29.1K BGN 50.7K
-5.69%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.6K Ft 11.8M
$20.9K BGN 36.4K
75.10%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$128 Ft 41.3K
$92.4 BGN 161
38.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$29.81 Ft 9,631
$14.52 BGN 25.26
105.30%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.14 Ft 7,152
$12.32 BGN 21.43
79.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.80 Ft 13.5K
$31.70 BGN 55.2
31.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.06 Ft 5,835
$8.53 BGN 14.84
111.72%
Cinema Ticket
$3.37 Ft 1,088
$5.62 BGN 9.78
-40.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$151 Ft 48.8K
$230 BGN 401
-34.46%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,944 Ft 1.6M
$2,268 BGN 3,947
117.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$81.0 Ft 26.2K
$30.10 BGN 52.4
169.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$50.2 Ft 16.2K
$19.62 BGN 34.13
156.07%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.6 Ft 28.6K
$45.86 BGN 79.8
93.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$116 Ft 37.6K
$47.69 BGN 83.0
144.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$397 Ft 128.1K
$518 BGN 902
-23.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$327 Ft 105.5K
$357 BGN 621
-8.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$625 Ft 201.9K
$614 BGN 1,069
1.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$504 Ft 162.9K
$569 BGN 990
-11.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,013 Ft 650.4K
$1,191 BGN 2,073
68.99%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,598 Ft 516.2K
$959 BGN 1,669
66.55%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Szolnok
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,059 Ft 342.1K
$1,704 BGN 2,965
-37.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
7.69
2.99
157.19%

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

Last update for Szolnok: 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
Szolnok
$327
Bansko
$357 9.3% $30
Groceries & Markets
Szolnok
$197
Bansko
$192 2.4% $4.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Szolnok
$180
Bansko
$119 33.7% $61
Eating Out
Szolnok
$159
Bansko
$145 8.6% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Szolnok
$151
Bansko
$64 57.4% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Szolnok
$49
Bansko
$43 11.5% $5.6
Getting Around
Szolnok
$44
Bansko
$35 20.9% $9.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $397 in Szolnok 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 61% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Szolnok versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $197 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇭🇺 Szolnok
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
03:10 3:10 AM
04:10 4:10 AM
1 h ahead of Szolnok
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,426
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Szolnok Bansko 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Szolnok
  • 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
Szolnok vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Szolnok and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $1,106 in Szolnok, $956 in Bansko – roughly 16% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Szolnok compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,660 per month in Szolnok and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Szolnok and Bansko?
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.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Szolnok and $45.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Szolnok or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,106 in Szolnok and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 16%.
Which city is more doable on $2,000 per month?
A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Szolnok at $1,106. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Szolnok it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Szolnok and Bansko?
It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $956 in Bansko to $1,106 in Szolnok. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Szolnok or Bansko safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Szolnok and Bansko?
If budget matters most, go with Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Szolnok makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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