Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zell am see and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $2,307 in Zell am see, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Zell am see
Learn more

Zell am see Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Zell am see

🇦🇹 Austria

$2,307

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,307 per month in Zell am see vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Zell am see $2,307
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $3,305 per month in Zell am see vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Zell am see $3,305
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $4,304 per month in Zell am see vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Zell am see $4,304
Bansko $1,979

Zell am see costs about 141% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zell am see sits 71% above the global median, while Bansko is 29% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.93 €15.06

$8.66 BGN 15.06

95.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.3 €75.0

$44.94 BGN 78.2

87.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.06 €8.94

$8.78 BGN 15.28

14.58%

Cappuccino

$4.35 €3.87

$2.33 BGN 4.05

86.70%

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

$3.53 €3.14

$1.57 BGN 2.74

124.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.82 BGN 1.43

246.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.85

$1.68 BGN 2.92

224.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 €4.74

$1.98 BGN 3.45

169.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 €1.48

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.12

$0.80 BGN 1.40

197.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.39 €2.13

$1.44 BGN 2.51

65.97%

Eggs

$4.68 €4.16

$2.36 BGN 4.10

98.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.25 €19.79

$9.39 BGN 16.34

136.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.68 €11.28

$6.41 BGN 11.15

97.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.27 €18.92

$8.48 BGN 14.76

150.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.90 €2.58

$1.31 BGN 2.28

121.37%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.24

$1.62 BGN 2.82

55.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.93

$1.73 BGN 3.01

90.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.12 €3.66

$1.94 BGN 3.38

112.37%

Potato (1kg)

$2.48 €2.20

$0.94 BGN 1.63

163.83%

Onion (1kg)

$3.19 €2.84

$0.76 BGN 1.32

319.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 €1.90

$0.55 BGN 0.95

289.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 €1.14

$0.59 BGN 1.02

116.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.65 €6.81

$3.25 BGN 5.66

135.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.71 €7.74

$5.20 BGN 9.05

67.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.31 €1.16

$1.09 BGN 1.89

20.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.68 BGN 2.92

30.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.84 €2.53

$0.84 BGN 1.45

238.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$47.40 €42.16

$27.06 BGN 47.09

75.17%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.92 €2.59

$1.34 BGN 2.34

117.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 €0.76

$0.65 BGN 1.14

32.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.62 €27.24

$10.06 BGN 17.51

204.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 €1.56

$1.48 BGN 2.57

18.24%

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

$30.5K €27.1K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

4.59%

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

$30.1K €26.8K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

43.92%

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

$341 €304

$92.4 BGN 161

269.45%

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

$15.66 €13.93

$14.52 BGN 25.26

7.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.35 €34.11

$12.32 BGN 21.43

211.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.40 €37.72

$31.70 BGN 55.2

33.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.63 €20.13

$8.53 BGN 14.84

165.30%

Cinema Ticket

$15.52 €13.81

$5.62 BGN 9.78

176.16%

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

$454 €404

$230 BGN 401

97.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K €14.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

592.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.2 €73.1

$30.10 BGN 52.4

172.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.6 €52.1

$19.62 BGN 34.13

198.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.3

$45.86 BGN 79.8

138.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €114

$47.69 BGN 83.0

167.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 €825

$518 BGN 902

79.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$928 €826

$357 BGN 621

160.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,645 €1,464

$614 BGN 1,069

167.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,293 €1,150

$569 BGN 990

127.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,702 €6,851

$1,191 BGN 2,073

546.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,040 €5,372

$959 BGN 1,669

529.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

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 Zell am see: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zell am see

$928 40.3%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 61.6% $571

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zell am see

$395 17.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 69.8% $276

Groceries & Markets

Zell am see

$392 17%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 51.1% $200

Eating Out

Zell am see

$281 12.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 48.3% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Zell am see

$170 7.4%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 62.1% $106

Sport & Entertainment

Zell am see

$73 3.2%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 41.5% $31

Getting Around

Zell am see

$66 2.9%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 46.9% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $928 in Zell am see 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84.0 in Zell am see versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $392 vs $192 – making Bansko the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇹 Zell am see

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

05:28 5:28 AM

06:28 6:28 AM

1 h ahead of Zell am see

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,131

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zell am see Bansko 1,040 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Zell am see
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

Zell am see vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,307 in Zell am see, $956 in Bansko – roughly 141% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,460 per month in Zell am see 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 $84.0 in Zell am see 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 $2,307 in Zell am see and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 141%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Zell am see at $2,307. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zell am see 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 $2,307 in Zell am see. 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, Zell am see makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.