Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tehran and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Tehran: $617 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$617

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $617 per month in Tehran vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Tehran $617
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,064 per month in Tehran vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Tehran $1,064
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,511 per month in Tehran vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Tehran $1,511
Bansko $1,989

Tehran is about 36% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tehran and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Tehran 54% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.45 $3.45

$8.83 BGN 15.46

-60.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.20 $16.20

$45.43 BGN 79.5

-64.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.91 $3.91

$8.92 BGN 15.61

-56.17%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.68 $0.68

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

Cappuccino

$1.40 $1.40

$2.33 BGN 4.08

-39.91%

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

$0.50 $0.50

$1.49 BGN 2.61

-66.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$0.83 BGN 1.45

106.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.51

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 $0.67

$1.72 BGN 3.01

-61.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 $0.59

$0.86 BGN 1.50

-31.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.46 BGN 2.56

136.99%

Eggs

$1.26 $1.26

$2.33 BGN 4.08

-45.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.32 $4.32

$9.54 BGN 16.70

-54.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.32 $3.32

$6.30 BGN 11.03

-47.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.44 $10.44

$8.64 BGN 15.13

20.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 $1.48

$1.32 BGN 2.30

12.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.99 $1.99

$1.65 BGN 2.88

20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 $1.27

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-27.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.63 $0.63

$1.94 BGN 3.40

-67.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 $0.55

$0.95 BGN 1.67

-42.11%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 $0.47

$0.72 BGN 1.27

-34.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 $0.52

$0.55 BGN 0.97

-5.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.27 $0.27

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-54.24%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.77 $0.77

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 $0.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 $2.46

$3.33 BGN 5.83

-26.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.89

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.03

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 $0.11

$0.89 BGN 1.56

-87.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.61 $5.61

$27.08 BGN 47.39

-79.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 $0.51

$1.64 BGN 2.86

-68.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 $0.29

$0.91 BGN 1.60

-68.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 $3.01

$10.00 BGN 17.49

-69.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.10 $0.10

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-93.33%

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

$49.6K $49.6K

$28.6K BGN 50.0K

73.64%

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

$45.6K $45.6K

$21.2K BGN 37.2K

114.56%

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

$13.23 $13.23

$92.5 BGN 162

-85.70%

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

$1.60 $1.60

$14.59 BGN 25.54

-89.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$3.85 $3.85

$12.13 BGN 21.23

-68.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.30 $24.30

$31.84 BGN 55.7

-23.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 $13.26

$8.46 BGN 14.81

56.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

$5.51 BGN 9.65

-63.34%

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

$108 $108

$227 BGN 398

-52.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,533 $2,533

$2,311 BGN 4,044

9.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.03 $26.03

$30.56 BGN 53.5

-14.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.33 $38.33

$18.95 BGN 33.16

102.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$116 $116

$45.80 BGN 80.2

152.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.9 $72.9

$48.28 BGN 84.5

51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 $419

$510 BGN 892

-17.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 $256

$364 BGN 637

-29.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$940 $940

$624 BGN 1,092

50.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 $632

$566 BGN 991

11.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,293 $1,293

$1,166 BGN 2,040

10.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$727 $727

$969 BGN 1,696

-24.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$210 $210

$1,680 BGN 2,940

-87.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

2.99

729.10%

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

Last update for Tehran: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tehran

$256 41.4%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 42.5% $109

Groceries & Markets

Tehran

$128 20.7%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 51% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Tehran

$114 18.4%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 43.2% $49

Eating Out

Tehran

$65 10.5%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 127% $82

Sport & Entertainment

Tehran

$28 4.6%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 51.3% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tehran

$19 3%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 538% $101

Getting Around

Tehran

$8 1.3%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 359% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Tehran versus $510 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 in Bansko are about 8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Tehran versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $128 vs $193 – making Tehran the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇷 Tehran

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

21:43 9:43 PM

20:13 8:13 PM

1 h 30 min behind Tehran

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

USD USD

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, EUR to USD – USD Converter

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

USD exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.97 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

BGN to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Tehran Bansko 2,500 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

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Tehran
Bansko

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Tehran vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $617 in Tehran, $968 in Bansko – Tehran comes out roughly 36% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $926 per month in Tehran and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tehran, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Tehran and $45 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 $617 in Tehran and $968 in Bansko. That makes Tehran about 36% cheaper.

Families tend to lean toward Tehran – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Tehran. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.