Living in Bansko in 2025 as a Digital Nomad
Wow, have the years flown by! This summer marks our fifth time living in Bansko as digital nomads and we couldn’t be more excited.
It does seem weird to say “living” when you’re somewhere temporarily but for us, that’s exactly what it feels like in Bansko.
We make it our home and have routines and hobbies just like anyone else living somewhere. The only difference is we may only be in each place we go to for a few months at a time (instead of staying there permanently).
After coming to Bansko quite a few times, we should have all the information and answers to any questions you may have about living here in Bansko, Bulgaria’s most famous mountain town for digital nomads.
In this post, we’ll dive into some of the things we recommend doing before coming to Bansko like booking accommodation in Bansko, getting travel insurance, and finding inspiration for all the fun things there are to do here in this beautiful mountain town.
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Our experience as digital nomads in Bansko
If you love the mountains, being surrounded by like-minded people, and living a slower-paced lifestyle then you will LOVE Bansko.
We honestly don’t even know where to start because there’s so much to talk about when it comes to living in Bansko as a digital nomad.
We had an awesome experience and we still can’t get over the fact that it took us so long to finally visit this digital nomad community in Bulgaria (first time in 2021).
Also kudos to Matthias (founder and former owner of Coworking Bansko) and the Coworking Bansko community for everything they do! From the day we arrived, we could tell they take pride in Coworking Bansko – and there’s a reason for it.
Now after so many years, the community in Bansko is still thriving and growing! So much so that we’ve had multiple family members come visit to see what the fuss is all about!
Let’s dive into what Bansko is all about, why it’s such a special place, and how you make the most out of your time here…
Things to plan before moving to Bansko
Finding an apartment in Bansko
Finding an apartment is probably one of the most important things you need to do wherever you go.
Thankfully, finding an apartment in Bansko is relatively easy – especially from late spring to late fall during the slower seasons. Bansko is a famous ski town in Bulgaria, so at any other time of the year, there’s a surplus of accommodation making it very easy (and affordable) to find an apartment here.
Even though the digital nomad community is growing in Bansko year over year the supply of apartments is there and there are plenty of apartments for rent.
Also, the range of apartments is really good too. You can find cheap old-school apartments that have the bare essentials. Yet at the same time, you can also find super flashy and modern apartments that may cost a bit more.
There are a few platforms you can use to look at apartments. Over time you’ll also make some connections and be able to book places directly through the owners, etc.
But if it’s your first time it’s best to look at Bansko Nomad Apartments, Four Leaf Clover (we’ve stayed here twice and it’s very affordable), Flatio, Airbnb, or even the Coworking Bansko Facebook Group where you can see if people have any apartments for rent.
Between all those platforms and talking with people in the community, you should easily be able to find a place to call home for your time in Bansko!
Make sure you have travel insurance (SafetyWing)
Travel Insurance is something we’ve seen some nomads skip out on but for us, it’s something we never travel without! I can’t think of anything that’s more important than our health (and our luggage, which as digital nomads is literally everything we own), so this is a no-brainer for us.
By now, there are a bunch of different travel insurances on the market, but the one we’ve found to be the best one (and the one we recommend to all of our nomad friends) is SafetyWing.
SafetyWing is a travel insurance created by nomads for nomads and their insurance covers extended travel and health worldwide. You can pick from 2 different plans based on your needs and you can sign up even after you’ve left your country of residence. It doesn’t get much easier than that.
If you don’t already have travel insurance, take a look at their plans online or talk to a live customer support agent (which is run by real humans – no bots) if you have any questions about the insurance.
Also read: World Nomads vs SafetyWing: Which Nomad Health & Travel Insurances Is Best?
Planning your transport from Sofia to Bansko
There are a few ways to get from Sofia to Bansko and we have a full on guide how to get from Sofia to Bansko.
There are a few options like taking a private transfer from Sofia airport straight to Bansko (a bit more expensive).
We usually stay a night in Sofia, enjoy a nice breakfast in the city centre, and then head on the late morning bus that takes around 3.5 hours from downtown Sofia to Bansko (which is the cheaper option).
Check out our guide on how to get from Sofia to Bansko here!
Knowing how long you can stay in Bansko
This is mainly for non-European citizens as, if you’re from the EU, this is irrelevant for you.
For fellow Canadians, Americans, British, and other nomads who aren’t from the EU, it’s important to know that Bulgaria is now officially a part of the Schengen Area.
If you’re not sure what the Schengen Area is, it’s basically a visa zone within Europe that allows everyone to travel freely between the countries that are members. As a member of the Schengen country, this is awesome – but as a non-Schengen resident/citizen, this means fewer days in the majority of Europe.
Since the Schengen visa allows you to stay for 90 out of 180 days in the entire Schengen zone, you have to consider this when deciding which countries to visit. You can’t, for example, go to Portugal for 90 days and then head over to Bulgaria for 90 days after.
It can get complicated and that’s why it’s easiest to just input your dates into a visa calculator to make sure you know exactly how long you can stay in Bulgaria and Europe (Schengen) in general.
Things to know about Bansko
Cost of living in this mountain town
One of the most important parts to consider when moving to a new location as a digital nomad is how much it’s going to cost.
Thankfully in Bansko, we don’t have to worry too much about our finances and spendings because Bansko and Bulgaria is quite cheap compared to the rest of Europe.
If you spend more time in Thailand, Vietnam, and other lower-cost Asian countries then some prices might be quite similar.
Bansko is great if you’re looking to save some money for a few months or if you’re just starting out as a digital nomad and are working on growing your business.
It’s a lot easier to focus on your business when you know expenses and cost of living aren’t going to eat away at your bank account.
Here’s a quick little estimate of the cost of living in Bansko:
- Rent in a shared room or a private apartment: Between €300 and €900 (around $330-990 USD) for a private local apartment
- Food at a standard Bulgarian restaurant: €5 to 7 (around $6-8 USD)
- Coworking Membership: €140-175 ($155-190 USD) a month
The fact that rent is so affordable already puts the cost of living way down. On top of that, everything else is significantly cheaper than a lot of other places we’ve visited as digital nomads.
It makes it really comfortable living in Bansko plus lots of the things to do in summer in Bansko are free so it really doesn’t have to cost a lot to spend some time in this mountain town.
We had so much time to work and just enjoy life without worrying about how much we were spending.
It can get a little ‘dangerous’ because you do end up eating out a lot and spending money more often. But your money definitely goes a long way in Bulgaria!
Joining Coworking Bansko
For us, community is super important and it is the main reason why we chose to spend some time in Bansko.
We’ve heard from a few digital nomads how awesome their experience in Bansko was.
Every single one of them highlighted the community as their favourite part of it. In this case, the community stems from the coworking places that are found in town.
The beauty of Coworking Bansko is that it’s not just a great coworking space but also a great place to connect with people.
There are always events and fun things going on. You can find things to do in the community almost every day of the week. I feel like every day of the week we were busy doing stuff with friends we met at the coworking.
We would go to board game nights, make a trip to the hot springs near Bansko, group dinners, and other random events. You can check out the overview of all events in Bansko here.
Coworking Bansko is so community-driven and, in our opinion, it’s one of the reasons why it thrives! Every year people come back and bring more people to come and experience Bansko for themselves.
In our opinion, that’s why Coworking Bansko is the best coworking space in town and has continued to grow in popularity year over year.
All the fun things to do in Bansko
When we got to Bansko, we were surprised by how many things there are to do in Bansko!
Every day we were doing something different since there was always something going on.
I don’t think we missed a single board game night. We always looked forward to Thursday because Thursdays meant hot springs.
After hiking in the mountains and staring at your computer all week it’s nice to relax in some proper Bulgarian hot springs.
Surprisingly, it never really got overwhelming for us and we found a good balance of time to relax and time to be social. We love being social and doing things so it was perfect for us.
Some days we’d just hang out in the lounge area and play cards and board games with people after work!
Other days we grab some friends and go play tennis at one of the local free tennis courts. Also some friends have table tennis in their apartment so there’s always the possibility to be doing some kind of sport.
Hiking in Bansko
The fact that there are mountains right next to Bansko is one of the other reasons why we wanted to check out Bansko.
We went hiking at least once a week during our time in Bansko. One day, we actually hiked from our apartment to Vihren Hut and it was awesome!
The Pirin Mountain range is a lot bigger than it seems and every time we went hiking, we added more new hikes to our bucket list.
One of the best hikes we’ve done is the hike up to Vihren Peak. Vihren is the second tallest mountain in Bulgaria and the view from the top is amazing!
Speaking of hiking and being prepared for when you come to Bansko… SafetyWing’s travel insurance that we mentioned above also covers hiking here in Bulgaria! It covers hiking up to 4500 meters, and the tallest mountain in Bulgaria is 2925 meters.
It’s one of those things you don’t really think about but it’s just one extra thing that SafetyWing covers which is really nice. The fact that the insurance is only a few dollars a day makes it a no brainer.
I know you’re probably dreaming of hiking and travel medical insurance isn’t the most exciting thing to look into. But trust me when I say that signing up for their insurance is super easy.
Then you can go back to dreaming about the mountains and all the hikes in the Pirin Mountains worry-free! 😉
👩🏼⚕️ Is your trip insured?
SafetyWing’s Nomad Insurance covers hiking and mountaineering up to 4500 meters 🏔️
Hot Springs near Bansko
One thing Bulgaria and the Bansko area in specific is known for is their hot springs. We would usually go every Thursday evening with a bunch of Coworking Bansko members and we loved it.
We’d usually go to Hot Mineral Pool Izgreva in Banya which is only a short drive from Bansko. There are plenty of other hot springs near Bansko worth checking out but Izgreva is one of our favourites.
It’s so relaxing to go on the weekend or on a chilly night when you want to hang out in a hot pool.
As we mentioned above, we would go to the hot springs every Thursday. We would usually stay in for a few hours from around 6-8 pm and then have dinner with the other digital nomads at the restaurant afterwards.
Spikeball in the park
This was one of our favourite things to do! There’s a small Facebook group called Spikeball Bansko where people usually plan when to play.
By the end of our time there it felt like we were out playing every day. It’s not a big group of people but we always managed to get 4-8 people playing whenever the weather was nice.
You can find the Spikeball group here and connect with the members there! You may even meet Phillip in the gondola coworking location – he’s the one who usually organizes it.
Movie nights at Coworking Bansko
Sundays are for movies. We were there in the fall so the evenings were dark and a little chilly and perfect for movie nights and snacks.
The movies we would watch would be a good mix of alternative movies and Oscar-winning movies such as Another Round by Thomas Vinterberg.
Board game night at Coworking Bansko
One of our favourite weekly activities in Bansko was the board game Mondays!
We love playing games with friends while chatting and enjoying a beer and some snacks, so Mondays were always good fun!
There is an abundance of different games and there’s a good chance that any game you want to play is going to be there.
Matthias, the owner of Coworking Bansko, loves board games so Mondays are taken quite seriously. It’s a lot of fun!
Skiing in Bansko
One of the main reasons why digital nomads and expats come and spend time in Bansko is because of the skiing.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to experience the skiing since we were there in September and October (so just before the ski season starts) but from what we’ve heard it’s great.
One of the best parts about the ski resort in Bansko is how close the gondola and the ski slopes are from everything.
You can wake up early, go do a few laps on the mountain, and come back after lunch and still get a full day’s work done!
Poker nights in town
During our time in Bansko, someone at Coworking Bansko would usually host a poker night every Tuesday, and the local expats also have a poker night every week.
It’s not too serious, especially the Coworking Bansko one.
We joined a few times (Dom as a player and Jo as the dealer) and it was a lot of fun.
Sunday Markets in Old Town Bansko
Another one of our favourite days of the week is Sunday! (I feel like every day in Bansko was our favourite, haha).
Every Sunday we would go to the market and stock up on literally everything.
There are so many goodies at the market that you just wanna shop forever.
There’s so much fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, baked goods, and everything else you can imagine at a Sunday market.
It’s all from local Bulgarian farmers and everything is so fresh and cheap that it’s hard to not want to buy everything.
The peanut butter is to die for as well. It comes in a standard clear mason jar.
There’s no logo and it looks very homemade. It’s absolutely delicious, so if you love peanut butter you have to try it!
Restaurants in Bansko
One of the nice things about Bansko is being able to eat out quite frequently without burning a hole in your pocket.
We love to cook at home but it just made more sense going out for most of our meals in Bansko since it’s almost cheaper than cooking yourself.
We tried out quite a few restaurants in Bansko and have some favourites. If you love fresh smoothie bowls then check out Cherry Berry Coffee & Smoothies. If you love good coffee, check out Black Honey.
The nomads have a few favourite spots to go to for lunch and most of them are in the Old Town of Bansko so some days we’d walk down to the lounge and work just so we could go out for lunch with everyone.
Tons of other things to do in Bankso
That’s just a sample of all the things there are to do in Bansko. You can find an even bigger list of things to do in Bansko in this post.
It’s an outdoor paradise with the Pirin mountains right at your doorstep and so many things only a short drive away.
Our thoughts on living in Bankso
This is honestly one of the hardest questions for us to answer! We’ve now spent around 8 months in Bansko and absolutely loved all of them.
Would we live there long term? That is a question that we can’t answer just yet. We truly think it’s a great place to have as a base where you can leave your stuff and travel from.
Housing (renting and buying) is super cheap in our opinion and you’re only a few hours away from an international airport. So it seems like the perfect base!
Bansko is one of the most densely populated digital nomad spots in Europe so you’ll never really feel alone.
To go back on if it’s easy to live in Bansko? Personally, we could spend a few months of the year here in Bansko.
Enjoy some summer hiking and maybe a month in the winter for skiing but I don’t think I could live there long term just because it is small and very different from where we both grew up in Canada and Denmark.
Again, this is just a personal answer. Bansko is great and we’re already talking about the next time we plan to visit. But I think a month or two at a time is perfect for us!
**We’ve been back for a fourth time and loved it even more than the first**
Other questions related to living in Bansko
Is Bansko a good place to live?
Bansko is a great place to live if you want to be somewhere a bit more quiet and peaceful and away from the fast-paced city life.
There is big expat community in Bansko and also large digital nomad community in Bansko that continues to grow.
You throw in skiing in the winter, tons of summer sports, good restaurants, and Bansko is a great place to live all year around. Cost of living in Bansko is also quite affordable and the people are very friendly.
Bansko is also very safe so all in all it’s a great place to live.
Is Bansko a good investment?
Bansko seems like a relatively safe and good investment. But we are by no means financial advisors. If you look at the housing prices and the growth of digital nomads and expats moving to Bansko it only seems like housing prices will continue to rise.
It is good to go to Bansko in person and actually see the flats and talk to some of the expats who have purchased apartments in Bansko already.
Moving forward it only seems like Bansko will continue to grow and real estate will continue to rise in price.
Does it snow in Bansko town?
Yes, it does snow in Bansko town. It snows more in the Pirin Mountains right next to Bansko but you will still get plenty of snowfalls in Bansko during the winter months.
Bansko is a ski town after all so the winter does get cold and white.
Sometimes the snow only lasts for a few days in Bansko town but during the colder months of December through February ,the town of Bansko will be white.
You may also like…
- The Best Ways to Get From Sofia to Bansko
- 9 Best Restaurants in Bansko You Need to Try
- 5 Hotels in Bansko Worth Checking Out
- The Best Coworking Space in Bansko
- 5 Hot Springs Near Bansko You Need to Visit
Recap of living in Bansko
If you love community and the outdoors this little mountain town in Bulgaria will be perfect for you. We had an amazing 5 weeks in Bulgaria living in Bansko and exploring the mountains and towns nearby.
The coworking space at Coworking Bansko is definitely the icing on the cake and makes living in Bansko super easy.
We hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions about moving to Bansko then feel free to DM us on Instagram or comment down below.
If you do decide to go one day we hope you have the best time and maybe even see you there 🙂
Love it? Share it!
Hey J and D,
First off all, thanks for this post! It provided a lot of useful info (Sunday market FTW!) and answered questions I had before coming to Bansko for the first time ever this June!
Aaaand I loved it so much that I decided to move here lol. I’ve been here for nearly 2 months now and I got tired of scouring FB and Insta groups to see what’s happening around town, so I built an event directory (banskoevents.com) listing all nomad-friendly events 🙂
Please check it out, and if you find it useful, feel free to share it in this post with other digital nomads. This is only the first version and I plan to make it even better.
Thanks, and hope to meet you in Bansko sometimes 🙂
Hey Ivana, I’m so happy to hear this! I love that you ended up moving to Bansko. Maybe we’ll see you this summer then when we go back 🙂
Also love that you created an event directory. That’s much needed with all the different IG, FB, and WA events lol. We’ll definitely check it out!
– Josie