Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Szombathely and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,231 in Szombathely, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

60

Cost of Living Index in Szombathely
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Szombathely Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Szombathely

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,231

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,231 per month in Szombathely vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Szombathely $1,231
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,949 per month in Szombathely vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Szombathely $1,949
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $2,666 per month in Szombathely vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Szombathely $2,666
Bansko $1,979

Szombathely costs about 29% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Szombathely and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Szombathely 9% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.55 Ft 3,724

$8.66 BGN 15.06

33.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.4 Ft 17.2K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

18.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.89 Ft 2,866

$8.78 BGN 15.28

1.25%

Cappuccino

$2.37 Ft 763

$2.33 BGN 4.05

1.72%

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

$1.35 Ft 434

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-14.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 Ft 413

$0.82 BGN 1.43

56.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.72 Ft 555

$1.68 BGN 2.92

2.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.32 Ft 749

$1.98 BGN 3.45

17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 Ft 389

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-30.06%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 Ft 508

$0.80 BGN 1.40

96.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 763

$1.44 BGN 2.51

64.58%

Eggs

$3.14 Ft 1,014

$2.36 BGN 4.10

33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.39 Ft 3,349

$9.39 BGN 16.34

10.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.55 Ft 2,111

$6.41 BGN 11.15

2.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.99 Ft 5,153

$8.48 BGN 14.76

88.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 Ft 716

$1.31 BGN 2.28

69.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.04 Ft 658

$1.62 BGN 2.82

25.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 Ft 813

$1.73 BGN 3.01

45.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.38 Ft 1,089

$1.94 BGN 3.38

74.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 Ft 349

$0.94 BGN 1.63

14.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.39 Ft 450

$0.76 BGN 1.32

82.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.88 Ft 605

$0.55 BGN 0.95

241.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 Ft 175

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.82 Ft 2,842

$3.25 BGN 5.66

171.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.54 Ft 1,462

$5.20 BGN 9.05

-12.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 Ft 390

$1.09 BGN 1.89

11.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 Ft 846

$1.68 BGN 2.92

55.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 Ft 284

$0.84 BGN 1.45

4.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.09 Ft 8,734

$27.06 BGN 47.09

0.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Ft 865

$1.34 BGN 2.34

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 441

$0.65 BGN 1.14

110.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.64 Ft 7,620

$10.06 BGN 17.51

134.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 Ft 596

$1.48 BGN 2.57

25.00%

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

$28.8K Ft 9.3M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-1.14%

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

$33.4K Ft 10.8M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

59.60%

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

$168 Ft 54.3K

$92.4 BGN 161

82.21%

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

$20.42 Ft 6,584

$14.52 BGN 25.26

40.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.92 Ft 6,744

$12.32 BGN 21.43

69.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.96 Ft 15.1K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

48.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.68 Ft 6,666

$8.53 BGN 14.84

142.44%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 Ft 1,500

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-17.26%

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

$423 Ft 136.2K

$230 BGN 401

83.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,637 Ft 2.5M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

236.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 Ft 33.0K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

240.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 Ft 16.3K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

157.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 Ft 31.2K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

111.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Ft 35.8K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

133.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$538 Ft 173.3K

$518 BGN 902

3.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$339 Ft 109.3K

$357 BGN 621

-5.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$754 Ft 243.1K

$614 BGN 1,069

22.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 Ft 208.0K

$569 BGN 990

13.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,402 Ft 774.2K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

101.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,980 Ft 638.3K

$959 BGN 1,669

106.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,175 Ft 378.9K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-31.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.5

2.99

150.84%

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

Last update for Szombathely: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Szombathely

$339 27.5%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 5.3% $18

Groceries & Markets

Szombathely

$252 20.5%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 24% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Szombathely

$210 17%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 43.1% $91

Eating Out

Szombathely

$171 13.9%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 15.1% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Szombathely

$162 13.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 60.3% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Szombathely

$56 4.6%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 23.7% $13

Getting Around

Szombathely

$40 3.3%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 12.8% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $538 in Szombathely 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 45% 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 $53.0 in Szombathely versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $252 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Szombathely

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

19:47 7:47 PM

1 h ahead of Szombathely

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,757

8,000

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 322 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 362 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.77 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 16, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Szombathely Bansko 810 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Szombathely
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

Szombathely vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,231 in Szombathely, $956 in Bansko – roughly 29% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,847 per month in Szombathely 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 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 $53.0 in Szombathely 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 $1,231 in Szombathely and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 29%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Szombathely at $1,231. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Szombathely 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,231 in Szombathely. 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, Szombathely makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.