Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Koh Samui

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. The total is higher in Koh Samui despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Koh Samui
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Koh Samui Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Koh Samui

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,183

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $1,183 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bansko $970
Koh Samui $1,183

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $1,939 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Koh Samui $1,939

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $2,694 in Koh Samui, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Koh Samui $2,694

Bansko is about 18% cheaper than Koh Samui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Koh Samui are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Koh Samui 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$4.36 ฿146

98.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$32.80 ฿1,098

42.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$8.50 ฿285

6.00%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$2.73 ฿91.3

-17.95%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.94 ฿31.60

59.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.50 ฿16.59

72.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.54 ฿84.9

-30.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$3.73 ฿125

-46.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.74 ฿58.2

2.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.46 ฿48.79

-44.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.56 ฿52.2

-2.56%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.10 ฿70.3

9.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$19.60 ฿656

-51.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$3.27 ฿110

93.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$10.94 ฿366

-21.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$2.96 ฿99.0

-56.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.69 ฿56.5

-0.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.22 ฿74.2

-23.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$2.10 ฿70.3

-10.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.46 ฿48.79

-36.30%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.33 ฿44.53

-42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$1.11 ฿37.27

-51.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.51 ฿16.97

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$4.23 ฿142

-18.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$18.25 ฿611

-71.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.74 ฿58.3

-36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.87 ฿95.9

-40.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$2.46 ฿82.5

-64.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

$45.15 ฿1,512

-40.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$3.08 ฿103

-58.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$1.06 ฿35.62

-38.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$3.89 ฿130

161.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$1.50 ฿50.3

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$28.2K ฿944.4K

2.14%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$27.7K ฿925.9K

-22.43%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$102 ฿3,405

-10.09%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$11.78 ฿394

24.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$17.76 ฿595

-32.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$54.1 ฿1,812

-40.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$11.53 ฿386

-25.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$7.73 ฿259

-27.17%

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

$228 BGN 400

$615 ฿20.6K

-62.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$12.4K ฿415.9K

-81.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$61.9 ฿2,073

-50.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$28.96 ฿969

-34.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$94.6 ฿3,167

-51.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$88.2 ฿2,951

-44.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$619 ฿20.7K

-15.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$389 ฿13.0K

-5.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,761 ฿59.0K

-63.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$1,025 ฿34.3K

-45.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$2,971 ฿99.5K

-59.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$2,176 ฿72.8K

-55.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$397 ฿13.3K

320.92%

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 Samui: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Koh Samui

$389 33.5% 5.8% $21

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Koh Samui

$267 23% 38.4% $74

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Koh Samui

$119 10.2% 18.2% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Koh Samui

$131 11.3% 11% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Koh Samui

$123 10.6% 90.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Koh Samui

$70 6% 59.8% $26

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Koh Samui

$63 5.5% 81.9% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $619 in Koh Samui. 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 321% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Bansko versus $33.00 in Koh Samui. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $267 in Koh Samui – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇹🇭 Koh Samui

🕒 Local time

14:14 2:14 PM

18:14 6:14 PM

4 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

62,110

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 0.51 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Koh Samui 8,190 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Koh Samui

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 Samui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $1,183 in Koh Samui – roughly 22% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,775 in Koh Samui. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Bansko and $33.00 in Koh Samui. 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 $1,183 in Koh Samui. That's a gap of about 22%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Koh Samui at $1,183. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Samui it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Koh Samui has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,183 in Koh Samui. 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 Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Koh Samui makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.