Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Varnamo and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $964 a month against $1,692 in Varnamo, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Varnamo
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Varnamo Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Varnamo

🇸🇪 Sweden

$1,692

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,692 per month in Varnamo vs $964 in Bansko, rent included.

Varnamo $1,692
Bansko $964

A couple spends around $2,672 per month in Varnamo vs $1,471 in Bansko, rent included.

Varnamo $2,672
Bansko $1,471

A family of three spends $3,652 per month in Varnamo vs $1,978 in Bansko, rent included.

Varnamo $3,652
Bansko $1,978

Varnamo costs about 76% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Varnamo sits 24% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.01 SEK 129

$8.34 BGN 14.68

56.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.7 SEK 891

$45.11 BGN 79.4

98.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 SEK 121

$9.14 BGN 16.08

33.81%

Cappuccino

$4.68 SEK 46.47

$2.31 BGN 4.06

102.60%

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

$2.72 SEK 26.99

$1.57 BGN 2.76

73.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.13 SEK 21.15

$0.87 BGN 1.53

144.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$1.70 BGN 2.99

359.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.08 SEK 70.3

$2.02 BGN 3.56

250.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 SEK 17.03

$1.74 BGN 3.06

-1.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 SEK 24.81

$0.80 BGN 1.40

212.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 SEK 35.20

$1.47 BGN 2.58

140.82%

Eggs

$4.63 SEK 45.97

$2.24 BGN 3.95

106.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.57 SEK 125

$9.50 BGN 16.73

32.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.73 SEK 116

$6.38 BGN 11.22

83.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.69 SEK 156

$8.48 BGN 14.93

85.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 SEK 30.92

$1.25 BGN 2.20

148.80%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 SEK 25.31

$1.72 BGN 3.02

48.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.82 SEK 27.99

$1.75 BGN 3.08

61.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.52 SEK 44.89

$1.97 BGN 3.46

129.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 SEK 17.12

$0.99 BGN 1.75

73.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.41 SEK 14.02

$0.72 BGN 1.27

95.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.57 SEK 25.53

$0.59 BGN 1.04

335.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 SEK 15.13

$0.55 BGN 0.97

176.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.81 SEK 77.6

$3.35 BGN 5.90

133.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 SEK 111

$5.02 BGN 8.84

121.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 SEK 19.22

$1.08 BGN 1.91

78.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SEK 26.25

$1.69 BGN 2.97

56.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.19 SEK 31.70

$0.82 BGN 1.44

289.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 SEK 742

$26.75 BGN 47.09

179.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 SEK 50.1

$1.30 BGN 2.28

287.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 SEK 10.71

$0.61 BGN 1.07

77.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$41.06 SEK 408

$9.97 BGN 17.55

311.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 SEK 17.08

$1.50 BGN 2.63

14.67%

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

$33.6K SEK 333.5K

$28.9K BGN 51.0K

15.98%

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

$34.2K SEK 340.1K

$21.2K BGN 37.3K

61.73%

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

$77.0 SEK 764

$93.8 BGN 165

-17.95%

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

$17.22 SEK 171

$14.81 BGN 26.06

16.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.45 SEK 302

$12.13 BGN 21.34

151.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.03 SEK 388

$32.80 BGN 57.7

18.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.33 SEK 222

$8.57 BGN 15.08

160.56%

Cinema Ticket

$15.36 SEK 153

$5.51 BGN 9.70

178.77%

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

$157 SEK 1,558

$228 BGN 402

-31.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,450 SEK 44.2K

$2,259 BGN 3,977

96.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$80.4 SEK 799

$30.12 BGN 53.0

167.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.8 SEK 564

$19.45 BGN 34.24

191.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 SEK 992

$46.08 BGN 81.1

116.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 SEK 1,223

$48.97 BGN 86.2

151.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$794 SEK 7,889

$522 BGN 918

52.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 SEK 6,075

$364 BGN 641

67.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,178 SEK 11.7K

$629 BGN 1,107

87.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$985 SEK 9,780

$568 BGN 1,000

73.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,023 SEK 40.0K

$1,159 BGN 2,041

247.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,853 SEK 28.3K

$955 BGN 1,681

198.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,032 SEK 20.2K

$1,669 BGN 2,938

21.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.03

2.99

1.34%

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

Last update for Varnamo: October 24, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Varnamo

$612 36.2%

Bansko

$364 37.8% 40.4% $247

Groceries & Markets

Varnamo

$357 21.1%

Bansko

$192 19.9% 46.3% $165

Eating Out

Varnamo

$269 15.9%

Bansko

$144 15% 46.5% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Varnamo

$162 9.6%

Bansko

$65 6.8% 59.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Varnamo

$125 7.4%

Bansko

$121 12.5% 3.1% $3.9

Getting Around

Varnamo

$98 5.8%

Bansko

$34 3.6% 64.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Varnamo

$70 4.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 37.2% $26

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $794 in Varnamo versus $522 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 22% higher in Varnamo, 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 $90 in Varnamo versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇪 Varnamo

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:40 3:40 PM

16:40 4:40 PM

1 h ahead of Varnamo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,778

8,000

💱 Currency

Swedish Krona SEK kr

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 SEK = 10.07 USD

100 SEK = 9.05 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 9.93 SEK (1 SEK = 0.101 USD). 1 EUR = 11.05 SEK (100 SEK = 9.05 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to SEK in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Varnamo Bansko 1,830 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Varnamo
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

Varnamo vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,692 in Varnamo, $964 in Bansko – roughly 76% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,538 per month in Varnamo and $1,446 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $522 there versus $794 in Varnamo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $90 in Varnamo 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 $1,692 in Varnamo and $964 in Bansko. That’s a gap of about 76%.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $964, than in Varnamo at $1,692. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Varnamo 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 $964 in Bansko to $1,692 in Varnamo. 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, Varnamo makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.