Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Banda Aceh and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Banda Aceh: $320 a month against $965 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $7,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Banda Aceh
🇮🇩 Indonesia
$320
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$965
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $320 per month in Banda Aceh vs $965 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Banda Aceh $320
  • Bansko $965

A couple spends around $511 per month in Banda Aceh vs $1,481 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Banda Aceh $511
  • Bansko $1,481

A family of three spends $702 per month in Banda Aceh vs $1,998 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Banda Aceh $702
  • Bansko $1,998

Banda Aceh is about 67% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Banda Aceh and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Banda Aceh 76% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.16 Rp 38.8K
$8.74 BGN 15.20
-75.29%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$6.74 Rp 121.3K
$46.37 BGN 80.7
-85.46%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.34 Rp 60.1K
$8.92 BGN 15.52
-62.56%
Cappuccino
$1.18 Rp 21.2K
$2.27 BGN 3.94
-48.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.38 Rp 6,778
$1.57 BGN 2.73
-75.80%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.21 Rp 3,774
$0.89 BGN 1.54
-76.40%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.47 Rp 44.5K
$1.73 BGN 3.01
42.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.94 Rp 70.9K
$1.95 BGN 3.39
102.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 Rp 29.6K
$1.79 BGN 3.11
-8.38%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 Rp 15.5K
$0.81 BGN 1.42
6.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.80 Rp 14.5K
$1.51 BGN 2.62
-47.02%
Eggs
$1.65 Rp 29.7K
$2.35 BGN 4.09
-29.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.49 Rp 152.9K
$9.55 BGN 16.61
-11.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.42 Rp 43.6K
$6.63 BGN 11.54
-63.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.59 Rp 118.7K
$8.37 BGN 14.57
-21.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.19 Rp 39.5K
$1.30 BGN 2.26
68.46%
Banana (1kg)
$0.85 Rp 15.4K
$1.68 BGN 2.93
-49.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.80 Rp 14.4K
$1.68 BGN 2.92
-52.38%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.85 Rp 15.3K
$1.92 BGN 3.34
-55.73%
Potato (1kg)
$0.79 Rp 14.2K
$0.94 BGN 1.63
-15.96%
Onion (1kg)
$3.42 Rp 61.5K
$0.75 BGN 1.31
356.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.82 Rp 14.7K
$0.59 BGN 1.02
38.98%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.40 Rp 7,281
$0.58 BGN 1.02
-31.03%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.02 Rp 54.4K
$3.26 BGN 5.67
-7.36%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.20 BGN 9.04
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.14 BGN 1.98
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.74 BGN 3.03
-
🚌 Getting Around
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.90 BGN 1.57
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$26.72 BGN 46.50
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
-
$1.30 BGN 2.26
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.61 BGN 1.06
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$10.29 BGN 17.91
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.83 Rp 15.0K
$1.56 BGN 2.71
-46.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$29.1K BGN 50.7K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$21.3K BGN 37.1K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$33.38 Rp 600.8K
$92.8 BGN 161
-64.03%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.28 Rp 41.1K
$15.05 BGN 26.18
-84.85%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$23.39 Rp 421.0K
$12.19 BGN 21.21
91.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$9.66 Rp 173.8K
$32.83 BGN 57.1
-70.58%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$13.06 Rp 235.2K
$8.40 BGN 14.61
55.48%
Cinema Ticket
-
$5.56 BGN 9.67
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$230 BGN 400
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,931 Rp 34.8M
$2,295 BGN 3,994
-15.88%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.16 Rp 488.9K
$30.31 BGN 52.7
-10.39%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.04 Rp 396.8K
$19.41 BGN 33.78
13.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$43.60 Rp 784.8K
$45.34 BGN 78.9
-3.84%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.35 Rp 492.3K
$48.47 BGN 84.3
-43.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$514 BGN 894
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$361 BGN 627
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$630 BGN 1,096
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$571 BGN 993
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,202 BGN 2,091
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$972 BGN 1,691
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Banda Aceh
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,665 BGN 2,898
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
2.99
-

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

Last update for Banda Aceh: October 19, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Banda Aceh
$133 *
Bansko
$194 46.1% $61
Eating Out
Banda Aceh
$64
Bansko
$146 128% $82
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Banda Aceh
$59
Bansko
$120 103% $61
Clothing & Footwear
Banda Aceh
$54
Bansko
$65 19.5% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Banda Aceh
$9.7 *
Bansko
$44 355% $34
Getting Around
Banda Aceh
- *
Bansko
$35
Accommodation & Living
Banda Aceh
- *
Bansko
$361

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 $7.00 in Banda Aceh versus $46.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $133 vs $194 – making Banda Aceh the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇩 Banda Aceh
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
04:31 4:31 AM
00:31 12:31 AM
4 h behind Banda Aceh
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
223,446
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 22, 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Banda Aceh Bansko 8,090 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Banda Aceh
  • 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
Banda Aceh vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bansko cheaper than Banda Aceh?
Yes – Bansko is pricier by about 201%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $480 per month in Banda Aceh and $1,447 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do food prices compare in Banda Aceh and in Bansko?
Groceries cost about 46% more in Bansko, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is eating out cheaper in Banda Aceh or in Bansko?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $7.00 in Banda Aceh and $46.00 in Bansko. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Banda Aceh or in Bansko?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Banda Aceh, where all-in costs run around $320, than in Bansko at $965. In Banda Aceh it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Banda Aceh or Bansko more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Banda Aceh – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Banda Aceh or Bansko?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Banda Aceh. 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.

Banda Aceh vs other spots: cost of living compared

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