Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandar Seri Begawan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Bandar Seri Begawan
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Bandar Seri Begawan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,193 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,725 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $1,725
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,257 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Bandar Seri Begawan $2,257
Bansko $1,957

Bandar Seri Begawan costs about 23% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bandar Seri Begawan and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Bandar Seri Begawan 11% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 BND 4.91

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-55.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.17 BND 34.78

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-41.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.13 BND 7.84

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-31.96%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.90 BND 2.44

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$3.88 BND 4.97

$2.24 BGN 3.92

73.21%

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

$0.95 BND 1.22

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-36.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-38.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.79 BGN 3.14

2.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.70 BND 2.18

$0.81 BGN 1.42

109.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 BND 1.58

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-18.42%

Eggs

$2.01 BND 2.58

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.26 BND 11.85

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-3.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.39 BND 5.63

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-30.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 BND 13.61

$8.64 BGN 15.12

23.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.19 BND 4.09

$1.28 BGN 2.24

149.22%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 BND 2.79

$1.68 BGN 2.95

29.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 BND 3.66

$1.70 BGN 2.98

68.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 BND 3.31

$1.89 BGN 3.30

37.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.75 BND 2.24

$0.93 BGN 1.63

88.17%

Onion (1kg)

$2.08 BND 2.67

$0.76 BGN 1.32

173.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.61 BND 4.62

$0.54 BGN 0.95

568.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$0.58 BGN 1.02

60.34%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$23.07 BND 29.54

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 BND 4.35

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$15.45 BND 19.78

$3.44 BGN 6.02

349.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-6.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$0.82 BND 1.05

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-96.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.82 BND 4.89

$1.29 BGN 2.26

196.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.42 BND 4.38

$0.65 BGN 1.14

426.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.89 BND 15.22

$10.18 BGN 17.81

16.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.39 BND 0.50

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-74.00%

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

$43.7K BND 56.0K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

51.84%

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

$36.2K BND 46.3K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

68.65%

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

$60.7 BND 77.7

$91.4 BGN 160

-33.67%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$14.68 BGN 25.68

47.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.8

$12.07 BGN 21.12

442.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.10 BND 57.7

$32.28 BGN 56.5

39.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.96 BND 8.91

$8.60 BGN 15.05

-19.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.34 BND 6.84

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-5.15%

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

$214 BND 273

$228 BGN 400

-6.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,857 BND 12.6K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

326.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.2 BND 96.3

$30.48 BGN 53.3

146.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$92.5 BND 118

$19.01 BGN 33.26

386.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 BND 133

$45.53 BGN 79.7

127.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 BND 93.8

$48.67 BGN 85.2

50.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 BND 939

$521 BGN 913

40.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 BND 601

$367 BGN 643

27.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,125 BND 1,440

$634 BGN 1,110

77.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$692 BND 885

$558 BGN 976

23.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,106 BND 3,977

$1,204 BGN 2,106

158.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,298 BND 2,942

$971 BGN 1,699

136.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,755 BND 2,247

$1,670 BGN 2,923

5.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

2.99

29.77%

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

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40%

Bansko

$367 38% 21.7% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6%

Bansko

$193 20% 11.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 58.3% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 20% $29

Eating Out

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 43.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 21.9% $12

Getting Around

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 39.4% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $521 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Bandar Seri Begawan, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Bandar Seri Begawan vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

17:42 5:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

5 h behind Bandar Seri Begawan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,000 Capital

8,000

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.43 BND (1 BND = 0.697 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bandar Seri Begawan Bansko 9,770 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandar Seri Begawan
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

Bandar Seri Begawan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Bandar Seri Begawan is pricier by about 23%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,789 per month in Bandar Seri Begawan and $1,455 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 23%.

Public transport costs about 3163% less in Bansko. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Bandar Seri Begawan at $1,193. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bandar Seri Begawan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Bansko – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Bandar Seri Begawan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.