Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Boracay

For one person, living is cheaper in Boracay: $772 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Boracay
Learn more

Boracay Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Boracay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$772

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Boracay

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $772 in Boracay, rent included.

Bansko $956
Boracay $772

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,313 in Boracay, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Boracay $1,313

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,854 in Boracay, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Boracay $1,854

Bansko costs about 24% more than Boracay, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Boracay are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Boracay 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$5.73 ₱361

51.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$19.15 ₱1,207

134.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$5.94 ₱374

47.81%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.37 ₱149

-1.69%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.70 ₱43.80

124.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.23 ₱14.44

256.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.16 ₱73.0

44.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$1.92 ₱121

3.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$2.95 ₱186

-41.36%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.98 ₱61.9

-18.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.89 ₱56.4

61.80%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.93 ₱122

22.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$5.13 ₱323

83.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.78 ₱301

34.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$7.28 ₱459

16.48%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$2.51 ₱158

-47.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.59 ₱100

1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.21 ₱139

-21.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.08 ₱68.0

79.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.11 ₱133

-55.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.02 ₱127

-62.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.99 ₱62.5

-44.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.57 ₱35.86

3.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$2.28 ₱144

42.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$7.76 ₱489

-32.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$0.96 ₱60.6

13.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.75 ₱110

-4.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.24 ₱15.10

250.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$11.23 ₱707

140.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.66 ₱41.54

103.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.23 ₱14.19

182.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$1.94 ₱122

418.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.11 ₱69.7

33.33%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$23.7K ₱1.5M

23.16%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$22.0K ₱1.4M

-5.03%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$111 ₱6,982

-16.61%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$14.23 ₱896

2.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$33.84 ₱2,132

-63.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$29.95 ₱1,887

5.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$5.12 ₱323

66.60%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$5.26 ₱331

6.84%

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

$230 BGN 401

$136 ₱8,595

68.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$8,041 ₱506.5K

-71.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$36.09 ₱2,273

-16.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$19.21 ₱1,210

2.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$75.8 ₱4,775

-39.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$59.1 ₱3,725

-19.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$268 ₱16.9K

93.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$174 ₱11.0K

105.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$523 ₱32.9K

17.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$614 ₱38.7K

-7.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$2,441 ₱153.7K

-51.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$979 ₱61.7K

-2.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$229 ₱14.4K

643.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.79

-55.96%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Boracay: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Boracay

$174 22.5% 51.3% $183

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Boracay

$193 25% 0.7% $1.4

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Boracay

$105 13.7% 27.5% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Boracay

$159 20.6% 33.2% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Boracay

$86 11.1% 32.8% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Boracay

$40 5.3% 5.8% $2.5

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Boracay

$14 1.8% 60.1% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $268 in Boracay. 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 644% 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 $45.00 in Bansko versus $19.00 in Boracay. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $193 in Boracay – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇵🇭 Boracay

🕒 Local time

02:37 2:37 AM

07:37 7:37 AM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

12,296

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.99 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.82 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Boracay 9,810 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Boracay

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 Boracay: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $772 in Boracay – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $1,157 in Boracay. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Boracay, 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 $45.00 in Bansko and $19.00 in Boracay. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $956 in Bansko and $772 in Boracay. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Boracay, where all-in costs run around $772, than in Bansko at $956. In Boracay 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 $772 in Boracay to $956 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 Boracay. 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.