Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wels and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,885 in Wels, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,885 per month in Wels vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Wels $1,885
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $2,801 per month in Wels vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Wels $2,801
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $3,717 per month in Wels vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Wels $3,717
Bansko $1,979

Wels costs about 97% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Wels sits 40% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.47 €14.65

$8.66 BGN 15.06

90.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.3 €74.1

$44.94 BGN 78.2

85.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.32 €10.07

$8.78 BGN 15.28

28.93%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.79

$2.33 BGN 4.05

83.26%

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

$3.38 €3.01

$1.57 BGN 2.74

115.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 €2.65

$0.82 BGN 1.43

263.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.84

$1.68 BGN 2.92

223.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.42 €4.82

$1.98 BGN 3.45

173.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.51 €1.35

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-12.72%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.14

$0.80 BGN 1.40

201.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.44 BGN 2.51

20.14%

Eggs

$3.84 €3.42

$2.36 BGN 4.10

62.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.73 €19.33

$9.39 BGN 16.34

131.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.85 €11.43

$6.41 BGN 11.15

100.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.77 €19.36

$8.48 BGN 14.76

156.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.98 €2.65

$1.31 BGN 2.28

127.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.77 €1.57

$1.62 BGN 2.82

9.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.72 €2.42

$1.73 BGN 3.01

57.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.94 BGN 3.38

44.85%

Potato (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$0.94 BGN 1.63

168.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.76 BGN 1.32

114.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.26 €2.01

$0.55 BGN 0.95

310.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 €0.67

$0.59 BGN 1.02

27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.51 €6.68

$3.25 BGN 5.66

131.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.94 €7.95

$5.20 BGN 9.05

71.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 €0.71

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-26.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.68 BGN 2.92

30.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.70 €2.40

$0.84 BGN 1.45

221.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.48 €34.23

$27.06 BGN 47.09

42.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.63 €5.01

$1.34 BGN 2.34

320.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.34 €2.08

$0.65 BGN 1.14

260.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.71 €27.32

$10.06 BGN 17.51

205.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.59

$1.48 BGN 2.57

20.95%

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

$30.7K €27.3K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

5.41%

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

$30.2K €26.9K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

44.38%

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

$333 €296

$92.4 BGN 161

260.38%

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

$13.71 €12.19

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-5.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.38 €33.25

$12.32 BGN 21.43

203.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.43 €40.41

$31.70 BGN 55.2

43.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.27 €29.59

$8.53 BGN 14.84

290.04%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 €12.13

$5.62 BGN 9.78

142.70%

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

$1,336 €1,189

$230 BGN 401

479.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K €14.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

595.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.5 €73.4

$30.10 BGN 52.4

174.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$59.2 €52.7

$19.62 BGN 34.13

201.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €98.9

$45.86 BGN 79.8

142.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 €110

$47.69 BGN 83.0

158.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 €601

$518 BGN 902

30.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 €489

$357 BGN 621

54.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 €832

$614 BGN 1,069

52.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$791 €704

$569 BGN 990

39.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,158 €3,698

$1,191 BGN 2,073

248.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,425 €3,047

$959 BGN 1,669

257.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,072 €2,733

$1,704 BGN 2,965

80.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

2.99

17.06%

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

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wels

$550 29.2%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 35.1% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wels

$384 20.4%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 69% $265

Groceries & Markets

Wels

$362 19.2%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 47% $170

Eating Out

Wels

$280 14.9%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 48.1% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Wels

$169 9%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 61.9% $105

Sport & Entertainment

Wels

$73 3.9%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 40.9% $30

Getting Around

Wels

$67 3.5%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 47.4% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $676 in Wels 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 80% higher in Wels, 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 $83.0 in Wels versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Wels

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

22:42 10:42 PM

23:42 11:42 PM

1 h ahead of Wels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

59,853

8,000

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Wels Bansko 1,020 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Wels
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

Wels vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,885 in Wels, $956 in Bansko – roughly 97% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,827 per month in Wels 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 $83.0 in Wels 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 $1,885 in Wels and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 97%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Wels at $1,885. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Wels 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 $1,885 in Wels. 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, Wels makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.