Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $509 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
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Anuradhapura Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $509 per month in Anuradhapura vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Anuradhapura $509
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $825 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Anuradhapura $825
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,140 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,140
Bansko $1,979

Anuradhapura is about 47% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Anuradhapura and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Anuradhapura 62% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.35 LKR 1,442

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.76 LKR 7,870

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-47.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 LKR 2,529

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-13.10%

Cappuccino

$2.41 LKR 798

$2.33 BGN 4.05

3.43%

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

$0.72 LKR 237

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-54.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-69.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 LKR 753

$1.68 BGN 2.92

35.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 LKR 1,032

$1.98 BGN 3.45

57.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 542

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-5.20%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 175

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-33.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 263

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-44.44%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 522

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-33.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.03 LKR 4,648

$9.39 BGN 16.34

49.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 LKR 1,588

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-25.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.37 LKR 2,440

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-13.09%

Apples (1kg)

$6.89 LKR 2,283

$1.31 BGN 2.28

425.95%

Banana (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 275

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-48.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 LKR 1,495

$1.73 BGN 3.01

160.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-37.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 341

$0.94 BGN 1.63

9.57%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 251

$0.76 BGN 1.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$0.55 BGN 0.95

67.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 155

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-20.34%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.30 LKR 3,412

$3.25 BGN 5.66

216.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,498

$5.20 BGN 9.05

161.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 651

$1.09 BGN 1.89

80.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 LKR 969

$1.68 BGN 2.92

74.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-71.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-47.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 314

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-90.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-7.43%

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

$36.6K LKR 12.1M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

25.73%

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

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

97.59%

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

$54.5 LKR 18.1K

$92.4 BGN 161

-41.00%

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

$4.33 LKR 1,436

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-70.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.17 LKR 7,013

$12.32 BGN 21.43

71.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 LKR 1,428

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-23.31%

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

$38.49 LKR 12.7K

$230 BGN 401

-83.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,229 LKR 407.2K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-45.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.84 LKR 5,910

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-40.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.82 LKR 5,572

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-14.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.6 LKR 26.4K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

73.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.74 LKR 14.2K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-10.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

2.99

324.41%

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

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$240 47.1%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 20% $48

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$108 21.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 34.6% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$80 15.7%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 49% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 13.9%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 8.7% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.6 * 1.7%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 398% $34

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.1 * 0.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 1568% $33

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $240 in Anuradhapura vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

22:21 10:21 PM

19:51 7:51 PM

2 h 30 min behind Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

8,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Anuradhapura Bansko 6,680 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Anuradhapura
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

Anuradhapura vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $509 in Anuradhapura, $956 in Bansko – roughly 88% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $764 per month in Anuradhapura and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Anuradhapura and $45.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Bansko – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $509, than in Bansko at $956. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko 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 $509 in Anuradhapura to $956 in Bansko. 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 Anuradhapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.