Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Koh Chang

For one person, living costs are similar in Bansko and in Koh Chang: $970 and $965 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Koh Chang
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Koh Chang Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Koh Chang

🇹🇭 Thailand

$965

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Koh Chang

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $965 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Bansko $970
Koh Chang $965

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $1,583 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Koh Chang $1,583

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $2,200 in Koh Chang, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Koh Chang $2,200

Bansko and Koh Chang have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$3.63 ฿121

138.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$26.36 ฿883

76.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$6.99 ฿234

28.90%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$2.26 ฿75.6

-0.88%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.77 ฿25.91

94.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.40 ฿13.29

115.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.04 ฿68.4

-13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$3.02 ฿101

-33.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.49 ฿50.0

20.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.31 ฿44.00

-38.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.41 ฿47.17

7.80%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$1.96 ฿65.8

17.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$17.61 ฿590

-45.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$3.00 ฿101

110.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$9.66 ฿323

-10.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$2.68 ฿89.8

-52.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.51 ฿50.7

11.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.07 ฿69.2

-17.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$1.92 ฿64.4

-1.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.36 ฿45.44

-31.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.19 ฿39.81

-36.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$1.01 ฿33.88

-46.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.50 ฿16.64

16.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$3.97 ฿133

-13.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$16.61 ฿556

-69.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.64 ฿55.1

-32.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.60 ฿86.9

-34.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$1.83 ฿61.2

-51.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$2.43 ฿81.4

-46.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.82 ฿27.40

-20.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$2.98 ฿99.7

241.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$1.19 ฿39.79

26.05%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$21.1K ฿707.5K

36.32%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$21.5K ฿720.9K

-0.37%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$94.2 ฿3,152

-2.88%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$10.67 ฿357

37.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$16.43 ฿550

-26.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$44.74 ฿1,498

-27.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$9.17 ฿307

-6.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$6.47 ฿217

-12.98%

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

$228 BGN 400

$491 ฿16.4K

-53.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$10.5K ฿351.2K

-77.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$60.2 ฿2,016

-49.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$27.51 ฿921

-30.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$90.4 ฿3,026

-49.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$82.4 ฿2,758

-40.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$473 ฿15.8K

10.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$303 ฿10.1K

21.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,334 ฿44.7K

-52.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$794 ฿26.6K

-29.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$2,276 ฿76.2K

-47.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$1,651 ฿55.3K

-41.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

5.57

-46.32%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Koh Chang: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Koh Chang

$303 31.8% 17.5% $64

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Koh Chang

$242 25.4% 25.3% $49

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Koh Chang

$98 10.3% 32.6% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Koh Chang

$121 12.7% 2.6% $3.1

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Koh Chang

$117 12.3% 81.3% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Koh Chang

$58 6.1% 32.5% $14

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Koh Chang

$14 * 1.5% 60.3% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $473 in Koh Chang. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Bansko versus $26.00 in Koh Chang. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $242 in Koh Chang – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇹🇭 Koh Chang

🕒 Local time

08:08 8:08 AM

12:08 12:08 PM

4 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

8,500

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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 = 0.509 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Koh Chang 8,200 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Koh Chang

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 Koh Chang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,448 in Koh Chang. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Bansko and $491 in Koh Chang. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 25% cheaper in Bansko – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Koh Chang, where all-in costs run around $965, than in Bansko at $970. In Koh Chang 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 $965 in Koh Chang 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 Koh Chang. 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.