Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Takamatsu and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $965 a month against $1,191 in Takamatsu, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Takamatsu
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Takamatsu Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Takamatsu

🇯🇵 Japan

$1,191

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,191 per month in Takamatsu vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

Takamatsu $1,191
Bansko $965

A couple spends around $1,881 per month in Takamatsu vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

Takamatsu $1,881
Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $2,571 per month in Takamatsu vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

Takamatsu $2,571
Bansko $1,998

Takamatsu costs about 24% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Takamatsu and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Takamatsu 12% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.20 ¥980

$8.74 BGN 15.20

-29.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.99 ¥5,054

$46.37 BGN 80.7

-31.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.12 ¥809

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-42.60%

Cappuccino

$3.13 ¥495

$2.27 BGN 3.94

37.89%

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

$1.19 ¥189

$1.57 BGN 2.73

-24.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 ¥126

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-10.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.60 ¥410

$1.73 BGN 3.01

50.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.22 ¥508

$1.95 BGN 3.39

65.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 ¥238

$1.79 BGN 3.11

-16.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥252

$0.81 BGN 1.42

97.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.76 ¥278

$1.51 BGN 2.62

16.56%

Eggs

$2.29 ¥361

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-2.55%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.37 ¥1,639

$9.55 BGN 16.61

8.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.60 ¥1,043

$6.63 BGN 11.54

-0.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.83 ¥2,659

$8.37 BGN 14.57

101.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.69 ¥583

$1.30 BGN 2.26

183.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ¥360

$1.68 BGN 2.93

35.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 ¥458

$1.68 BGN 2.92

72.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.24 ¥671

$1.92 BGN 3.34

120.83%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 ¥391

$0.94 BGN 1.63

163.83%

Onion (1kg)

$2.46 ¥389

$0.75 BGN 1.31

228.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ¥201

$0.59 BGN 1.02

115.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ¥124

$0.58 BGN 1.02

36.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.67 ¥580

$3.26 BGN 5.67

12.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.63 ¥1,048

$5.20 BGN 9.04

27.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 ¥298

$1.14 BGN 1.98

64.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 ¥333

$1.74 BGN 3.03

21.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 ¥231

$0.90 BGN 1.57

62.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ¥8,414

$26.72 BGN 46.50

99.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 ¥503

$1.30 BGN 2.26

144.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.79 ¥442

$0.61 BGN 1.06

357.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.60 ¥2,938

$10.29 BGN 17.91

80.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 ¥168

$1.56 BGN 2.71

-32.05%

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

$21.5K ¥3.4M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-26.25%

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

$15.1K ¥2.4M

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

-29.25%

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

$137 ¥21.6K

$92.8 BGN 161

47.34%

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

$23.78 ¥3,757

$15.05 BGN 26.18

58.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.79 ¥4,865

$12.19 BGN 21.21

152.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.7 ¥8,161

$32.83 BGN 57.1

57.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.11 ¥491

$8.40 BGN 14.61

-62.98%

Cinema Ticket

$11.79 ¥1,862

$5.56 BGN 9.67

112.05%

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

$521 ¥82.3K

$230 BGN 400

126.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ¥2.0M

$2,295 BGN 3,994

451.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.96 ¥7,736

$30.31 BGN 52.7

61.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.24 ¥4,936

$19.41 BGN 33.78

60.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.1 ¥9,499

$45.34 BGN 78.9

32.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$90.5 ¥14.3K

$48.47 BGN 84.3

86.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 ¥83.6K

$514 BGN 894

2.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$334 ¥52.8K

$361 BGN 627

-7.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 ¥172.0K

$630 BGN 1,096

72.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$735 ¥116.1K

$571 BGN 993

28.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,144 ¥654.7K

$1,202 BGN 2,091

244.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,783 ¥281.6K

$972 BGN 1,691

83.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,761 ¥278.1K

$1,665 BGN 2,898

5.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.21

2.99

-26.09%

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

Last update for Takamatsu: 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

Takamatsu

$334 28.1%

Bansko

$361 37.4% 7.9% $26

Groceries & Markets

Takamatsu

$280 23.5%

Bansko

$194 20.2% 30.7% $86

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Takamatsu

$191 16.1%

Bansko

$120 12.5% 37.3% $71

Eating Out

Takamatsu

$130 10.9%

Bansko

$146 15.2% 12.5% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Takamatsu

$104 8.7%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 37.8% $39

Getting Around

Takamatsu

$76 6.4%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 54.5% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Takamatsu

$75 6.3%

Bansko

$44 4.6% 41.6% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $529 in Takamatsu 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.

Salaries run about 6% higher in Takamatsu, 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 $32.00 in Takamatsu versus $46.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $280 in Takamatsu vs $194 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇯🇵 Takamatsu

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

06:57 6:57 AM

00:57 12:57 AM

6 h behind Takamatsu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

426,514

8,000

💱 Currency

Japanese Yen JPY ¥

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD

1,000 JPY = 5.63 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to JPY – Japanese Yen Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇵 Japanese Yen (¥)

Japanese Yen exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 158 JPY (1,000 JPY = 6.33 USD). 1 EUR = 178 JPY (1,000 JPY = 5.63 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 JPY in detail →

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Between locations

Takamatsu Bansko 8,980 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Takamatsu
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

Takamatsu vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,191 in Takamatsu, $965 in Bansko – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,787 per month in Takamatsu 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 $32.00 in Takamatsu 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 $1,191 in Takamatsu and $965 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Takamatsu at $1,191. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Takamatsu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Takamatsu has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $965 in Bansko to $1,191 in Takamatsu. 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, Takamatsu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.