Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Koh Tao

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Koh Tao despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
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Koh Tao Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent included.

Bansko $970
Koh Tao $1,038

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $1,702 in Koh Tao, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Koh Tao $1,702

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $2,367 in Koh Tao, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Koh Tao $2,367

Bansko is about 7% cheaper than Koh Tao, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Bansko and Koh Tao are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Koh Tao 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$3.75 ฿126

130.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$27.47 ฿920

69.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$7.44 ฿249

21.10%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$2.29 ฿76.7

-2.18%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.74 ฿24.85

102.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.42 ฿14.14

104.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.11 ฿70.5

-16.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$3.16 ฿106

-36.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.56 ฿52.3

14.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.31 ฿43.93

-38.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.43 ฿47.89

6.29%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$2.08 ฿69.6

10.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$18.59 ฿623

-48.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$3.11 ฿104

103.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$10.34 ฿346

-16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$2.70 ฿90.5

-52.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.54 ฿51.7

9.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$2.16 ฿72.5

-21.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$1.95 ฿65.2

-3.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.43 ฿48.03

-34.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.26 ฿42.12

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$1.06 ฿35.35

-49.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.51 ฿17.19

13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$4.06 ฿136

-15.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$17.40 ฿583

-70.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.67 ฿56.0

-33.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$2.63 ฿88.0

-35.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$1.97 ฿65.9

-55.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$2.62 ฿87.6

-50.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.91 ฿30.50

-28.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$3.48 ฿117

192.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$1.29 ฿43.27

16.28%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$23.8K ฿796.9K

21.03%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$24.3K ฿813.9K

-11.75%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$96.6 ฿3,235

-5.37%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$11.14 ฿373

31.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$16.85 ฿564

-28.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$54.6 ฿1,827

-40.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$11.61 ฿389

-25.93%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$7.88 ฿264

-28.55%

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

$228 BGN 400

$547 ฿18.3K

-58.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$11.4K ฿383.3K

-79.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$62.7 ฿2,100

-51.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$28.43 ฿952

-33.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$96.2 ฿3,220

-52.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$88.2 ฿2,952

-44.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$535 ฿17.9K

-2.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$354 ฿11.9K

3.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,533 ฿51.3K

-58.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$897 ฿30.0K

-37.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$2,660 ฿89.0K

-54.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$1,917 ฿64.2K

-49.35%

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 Tao: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Koh Tao

$354 34% 3.6% $13

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Koh Tao

$252 24.2% 30.5% $59

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Koh Tao

$101 9.7% 30.3% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Koh Tao

$125 12% 5.4% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Koh Tao

$124 11.9% 91.7% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Koh Tao

$70 6.8% 61.4% $27

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5% 56.8% $20

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 $535 in Koh Tao. 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 $27.00 in Koh Tao. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $252 in Koh Tao – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🕒 Local time

11:29 11:29 AM

15:29 3:29 PM

4 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

1,382

💱 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 Tao 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Koh Tao

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 Tao: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $1,038 in Koh Tao – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,557 in Koh Tao. 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 $1,038 in Koh Tao. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Bansko and $547 in Koh Tao. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Koh Tao at $1,038. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Tao 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,038 in Koh Tao. 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 Tao makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.