Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Windhoek and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,171 in Windhoek, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Windhoek
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Windhoek Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Windhoek

🇳🇦 Namibia

$1,171

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,171 per month in Windhoek vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Windhoek $1,171
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,979 per month in Windhoek vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Windhoek $1,979
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,787 per month in Windhoek vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Windhoek $2,787
Bansko $1,957

Windhoek costs about 21% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Windhoek and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Windhoek 13% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.46 NAD 189

$8.66 BGN 15.15

32.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.0 NAD 1,040

$46.63 BGN 81.6

35.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.84 NAD 96.4

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-35.18%

Cappuccino

$2.35 NAD 38.73

$2.24 BGN 3.92

4.91%

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

$0.87 NAD 14.32

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-42.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 NAD 14.41

$0.86 BGN 1.51

1.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 NAD 32.67

$1.76 BGN 3.07

12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 NAD 34.95

$2.00 BGN 3.51

6.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 NAD 25.27

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-14.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 NAD 15.62

$0.81 BGN 1.42

17.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.93 NAD 31.81

$1.52 BGN 2.66

26.97%

Eggs

$3.17 NAD 52.3

$2.30 BGN 4.02

37.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.47 NAD 156

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-1.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 NAD 109

$6.32 BGN 11.06

4.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.60 NAD 125

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-12.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 NAD 35.47

$1.28 BGN 2.24

67.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.89 NAD 31.21

$1.68 BGN 2.95

12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 NAD 31.07

$1.70 BGN 2.98

10.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 NAD 32.61

$1.89 BGN 3.30

4.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 NAD 33.07

$0.93 BGN 1.63

115.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 NAD 30.00

$0.76 BGN 1.32

139.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 NAD 32.14

$0.54 BGN 0.95

261.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 NAD 17.64

$0.58 BGN 1.02

84.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.32 NAD 54.8

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-3.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 NAD 112

$5.14 BGN 9.00

31.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 NAD 23.19

$1.11 BGN 1.94

27.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 NAD 23.47

$1.70 BGN 2.97

-16.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 NAD 12.25

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-15.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.69 NAD 803

$26.76 BGN 46.83

81.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.82 NAD 13.50

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-36.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 NAD 14.34

$0.65 BGN 1.14

33.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.56 NAD 257

$10.18 BGN 17.81

52.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 NAD 22.10

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-10.67%

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

$24.3K NAD 400.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-15.80%

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

$27.1K NAD 447.1K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

26.32%

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

$139 NAD 2,287

$91.4 BGN 160

51.55%

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

$25.91 NAD 428

$14.68 BGN 25.68

76.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 NAD 847

$12.07 BGN 21.12

325.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.58 NAD 620

$32.28 BGN 56.5

16.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.56 NAD 174

$8.60 BGN 15.05

22.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.32 NAD 87.7

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-5.51%

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

$209 NAD 3,445

$228 BGN 400

-8.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,376 NAD 88.7K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

132.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.9 NAD 890

$30.48 BGN 53.3

76.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 NAD 560

$19.01 BGN 33.26

78.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.0 NAD 1,501

$45.53 BGN 79.7

99.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 NAD 1,574

$48.67 BGN 85.2

95.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 NAD 8,120

$521 BGN 913

-5.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 NAD 5,885

$367 BGN 643

-2.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 NAD 18.8K

$634 BGN 1,110

79.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 NAD 14.3K

$558 BGN 976

55.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,615 NAD 26.6K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

34.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$601 NAD 9,922

$971 BGN 1,699

-38.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$989 NAD 16.3K

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-40.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.42

2.99

281.94%

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

Last update for Windhoek: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Windhoek

$357 30.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 3% $11

Groceries & Markets

Windhoek

$223 18.8%

Bansko

$193 20% 13.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Windhoek

$216 18.3%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 45.2% $98

Eating Out

Windhoek

$159 13.4%

Bansko

$145 15% 8.3% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Windhoek

$123 10.4%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 47.6% $59

Getting Around

Windhoek

$57 4.8%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 38.7% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Windhoek

$48 4.1%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 9.7% $4.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $492 in Windhoek versus $521 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 69% 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 $63.0 in Windhoek versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $223 vs $193 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇳🇦 Windhoek

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

08:15 8:15 AM

09:15 9:15 AM

1 h ahead of Windhoek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

322,500 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Namibian Dollar NAD $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 NAD = 6.06 USD

100 NAD = 5.4 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to NAD – Namibian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇳🇦 Namibian Dollar ($)

Namibian Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 NAD (100 NAD = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.51 NAD (100 NAD = 5.4 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to NAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Windhoek Bansko 7,190 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Windhoek
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

Windhoek vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,171 in Windhoek, $970 in Bansko – roughly 21% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,756 per month in Windhoek and $1,455 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 $63.0 in Windhoek and $47.00 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 $1,171 in Windhoek and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Windhoek at $1,171. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Windhoek 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,171 in Windhoek. 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, Windhoek makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.