Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Bandar Seri Begawan

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.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
57

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

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Bandar Seri Begawan

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,193

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Bandar Seri Begawan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bansko and in Bandar Seri Begawan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Bansko $970
Bandar Seri Begawan $1,193

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

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

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

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

Bansko is about 19% cheaper than Bandar Seri Begawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$3.84 BND 4.91

125.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$27.17 BND 34.78

71.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$6.13 BND 7.84

46.98%

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

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$3.88 BND 4.97

-42.27%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.95 BND 1.22

57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.53 BND 0.68

62.26%

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)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.84 BND 2.36

-2.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.70 BND 2.18

-52.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.24 BND 1.58

22.58%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.01 BND 2.58

14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$9.26 BND 11.85

3.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$4.39 BND 5.63

43.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$10.63 BND 13.61

-18.72%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$3.19 BND 4.09

-59.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$2.18 BND 2.79

-22.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.86 BND 3.66

-40.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$2.59 BND 3.31

-27.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.75 BND 2.24

-46.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.08 BND 2.67

-63.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$3.61 BND 4.62

-85.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.93 BND 1.19

-37.63%

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)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$15.45 BND 19.78

-77.73%

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)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.82 BND 1.05

7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

$0.82 BND 1.05

3163.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$3.82 BND 4.89

-66.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$3.42 BND 4.38

-80.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$11.89 BND 15.22

-14.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.39 BND 0.50

284.62%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$43.7K BND 56.0K

-34.14%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$36.2K BND 46.3K

-40.71%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$60.7 BND 77.7

50.77%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$21.58 BND 27.63

-31.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$65.4 BND 83.8

-81.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$45.10 BND 57.7

-28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$6.96 BND 8.91

23.56%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$5.34 BND 6.84

5.43%

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

$228 BGN 400

$214 BND 273

6.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$9,857 BND 12.6K

-76.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$75.2 BND 96.3

-59.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$92.5 BND 118

-79.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$104 BND 133

-56.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$73.3 BND 93.8

-33.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$734 BND 939

-28.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$469 BND 601

-21.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,125 BND 1,440

-43.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$692 BND 885

-19.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$3,106 BND 3,977

-61.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$2,298 BND 2,942

-57.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$1,755 BND 2,247

-4.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

3.88

-22.94%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bandar Seri Begawan: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$469 40% 27.8% $102

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$218 18.6% 13.1% $25

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$102 8.7% 30.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$148 12.6% 24.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$155 13.2% 140% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$56 4.8% 28.1% $12

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Bandar Seri Begawan

$25 2.1% 28.3% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $734 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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 $47.00 in Bansko versus $27.00 in Bandar Seri Begawan. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $218 in Bandar Seri Begawan – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇧🇳 Bandar Seri Begawan

🕒 Local time

14:36 2:36 PM

19:36 7:36 PM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

50,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Brunei Dollar BND $

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.697 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BND, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

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).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Bansko
Bandar Seri Begawan

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

Bansko vs Bandar Seri Begawan: 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 $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,789 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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 $970 in Bansko and $1,193 in Bandar Seri Begawan. 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.