Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Balikpapan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Balikpapan: $668 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Balikpapan
Learn more

Balikpapan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Balikpapan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$668

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $668 in Balikpapan versus $956 in Bansko.

Balikpapan $668
Bansko $956

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,048 in Balikpapan versus $1,467 in Bansko.

Balikpapan $1,048
Bansko $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,428 in Balikpapan versus $1,979 in Bansko.

Balikpapan $1,428
Bansko $1,979

Living in Balikpapan costs roughly 30% less than in Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Balikpapan 51% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.39 Rp 25.0K

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-83.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.95 Rp 197.1K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-75.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.05 Rp 55.0K

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-65.26%

Cappuccino

$1.36 Rp 24.5K

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-41.63%

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

$0.37 Rp 6,712

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-76.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 Rp 6,871

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-53.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 Rp 40.4K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

33.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 Rp 59.9K

$1.98 BGN 3.45

68.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.3K

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-34.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 Rp 19.2K

$0.80 BGN 1.40

33.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 Rp 20.8K

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-19.44%

Eggs

$2.54 Rp 45.8K

$2.36 BGN 4.10

7.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.38 Rp 132.8K

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-21.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.92 Rp 52.6K

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-54.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.04 Rp 144.7K

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-5.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.5K

$1.31 BGN 2.28

71.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 Rp 23.4K

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 Rp 31.7K

$1.73 BGN 3.01

1.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-34.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 Rp 22.7K

$0.94 BGN 1.63

34.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.90 Rp 34.2K

$0.76 BGN 1.32

150.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 Rp 14.0K

$0.55 BGN 0.95

41.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 Rp 13.0K

$0.59 BGN 1.02

22.03%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 Rp 34.0K

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-41.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.83 Rp 374.9K

$5.20 BGN 9.05

300.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 Rp 33.7K

$1.09 BGN 1.89

71.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 Rp 54.3K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

79.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,219

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-65.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.7K

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-14.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 Rp 6,777

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 Rp 46.7K

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-74.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.77 Rp 13.8K

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-47.97%

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

$23.4K Rp 420.6M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-19.82%

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

$31.0K Rp 558.8M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

48.39%

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

$67.5 Rp 1.2M

$92.4 BGN 161

-26.99%

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

$4.36 Rp 78.4K

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-69.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.86 Rp 537.4K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

142.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.74 Rp 427.4K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-25.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 Rp 152.2K

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-0.82%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 51.1K

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-49.47%

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

$93.1 Rp 1.7M

$230 BGN 401

-59.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,570 Rp 154.3M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

277.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.14 Rp 686.6K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

26.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.66 Rp 335.9K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-4.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 Rp 2.5M

$45.86 BGN 79.8

206.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.9 Rp 1.3M

$47.69 BGN 83.0

48.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$203 Rp 3.7M

$518 BGN 902

-60.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$357 BGN 621

-58.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$537 Rp 9.7M

$614 BGN 1,069

-12.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 Rp 6.5M

$569 BGN 990

-36.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,258 Rp 22.6M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

5.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$818 Rp 14.7M

$959 BGN 1,669

-14.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 Rp 4.3M

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-86.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

2.99

216.39%

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

Last update for Balikpapan: 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

Balikpapan

$206 30.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 7.1% $15

Accommodation & Living

Balikpapan

$148 22.1%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 142% $209

Clothing & Footwear

Balikpapan

$121 18.1%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 46.6% $56

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Balikpapan

$102 15.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 17.3% $18

Eating Out

Balikpapan

$57 8.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 153% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Balikpapan

$29 4.4%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 45.9% $14

Getting Around

Balikpapan

$4.2 * 0.6%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 736% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $203 in Balikpapan and $518 in Bansko. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bansko pays 616% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $11.00 in Balikpapan vs $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $192, with Bansko cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Balikpapan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

15:50 3:50 PM

10:50 10:50 AM

5 h behind Balikpapan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

701,066

8,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Balikpapan Bansko 10,380 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Balikpapan
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

Balikpapan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Balikpapan and Bansko differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($668 vs $956 including rent). Balikpapan is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 616% lower in Bansko. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $203 in Balikpapan versus $518 in Bansko. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $93.1 in Balikpapan versus $230 in Bansko. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Balikpapan – a meal for two runs $11.00 versus $45.00 in Bansko. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $668 in Balikpapan versus $956 in Bansko, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Balikpapan but tight or insufficient in Bansko. The gap between the two cities makes Balikpapan the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Balikpapan and Bansko are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Balikpapan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Bansko. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.