Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Bintulu

For one person, living is cheaper in Bintulu: $849 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Bintulu
Learn more

Bintulu Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Bintulu

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Bintulu

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 Bintulu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $849 in Bintulu, rent included.

Bansko $970
Bintulu $849

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $1,312 in Bintulu, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Bintulu $1,312

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $1,775 in Bintulu, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Bintulu $1,775

Bansko costs about 14% more than Bintulu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bansko and Bintulu are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Bintulu 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$3.95 MYR 16.13

119.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$18.43 MYR 75.3

153.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$5.79 MYR 23.63

55.61%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$2.99 MYR 12.20

-25.08%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.63 MYR 2.59

138.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.38 MYR 1.54

126.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.98 MYR 12.17

-40.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$5.17 MYR 21.12

-61.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$2.15 MYR 8.77

-16.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.37 MYR 5.59

-40.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.32 MYR 5.41

15.15%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.16 MYR 8.83

6.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$16.81 MYR 68.6

-42.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$3.48 MYR 14.19

81.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$5.90 MYR 24.11

46.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$1.76 MYR 7.19

-27.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.02 MYR 4.18

64.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.76 MYR 7.17

-3.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$1.13 MYR 4.60

67.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$0.51 MYR 2.08

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.19 MYR 4.85

-36.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$0.69 MYR 2.84

-21.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.42 MYR 1.71

38.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$4.18 MYR 17.08

-17.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$19.74 MYR 80.6

-73.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$3.01 MYR 12.29

-63.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.00 MYR 8.17

-15.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$1.20 MYR 4.91

-26.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

$16.62 MYR 67.9

61.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$1.02 MYR 4.18

26.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.83 MYR 3.39

-21.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$2.50 MYR 10.21

307.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.63 MYR 2.57

138.10%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$44.5K MYR 181.7K

-35.25%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$38.5K MYR 157.0K

-44.23%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$59.2 MYR 242

54.41%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$31.51 MYR 129

-53.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$29.98 MYR 122

-59.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$66.4 MYR 271

-51.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$12.43 MYR 50.8

-30.81%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$4.33 MYR 17.67

30.02%

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

$228 BGN 400

$124 MYR 508

83.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$7,230 MYR 29.5K

-68.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$64.2 MYR 262

-52.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$36.02 MYR 147

-47.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$80.5 MYR 329

-43.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$90.8 MYR 371

-46.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$220 MYR 898

137.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$157 MYR 642

133.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$485 MYR 1,979

30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$333 MYR 1,361

67.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$1,730 MYR 7,062

-30.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$1,137 MYR 4,644

-14.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$598 MYR 2,441

179.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

4.5

-33.56%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Bintulu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Bintulu

$157 18.5% 57.2% $210

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Bintulu

$232 27.4% 20.4% $39

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Bintulu

$114 13.5% 21.5% $31

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Bintulu

$121 14.2% 2.1% $2.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Bintulu

$122 14.4% 89% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Bintulu

$75 8.9% 72.4% $32

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Bintulu

$27 3.1% 23.6% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $220 in Bintulu. 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 179% higher in Bansko, 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 $18.00 in Bintulu. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $232 in Bintulu – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇲🇾 Bintulu

🕒 Local time

14:17 2:17 PM

19:17 7:17 PM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

240,172

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.219 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, 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).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.219 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Bintulu 9,740 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Bintulu

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 Bintulu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $849 in Bintulu – roughly 14% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,273 in Bintulu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bintulu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Bansko and $18.00 in Bintulu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $970 in Bansko and $849 in Bintulu. That's a gap of about 14%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Bintulu, where all-in costs run around $849, than in Bansko at $970. In Bintulu 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 $849 in Bintulu to $970 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 Bintulu. 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.