Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Kurunegala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $474 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kurunegala
Learn more

Kurunegala Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$474

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Kurunegala

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $474 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Bansko $956
Kurunegala $474

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $774 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Kurunegala $774

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,074 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Kurunegala $1,074

Bansko costs about 102% more than Kurunegala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Kurunegala are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Kurunegala 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$1.85 LKR 612

368.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$24.62 LKR 8,154

82.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$4.61 LKR 1,528

90.46%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.39 LKR 792

-2.51%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.46 LKR 153

241.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.27 LKR 90.4

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.17 LKR 719

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.07 LKR 1,017

-35.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.54 LKR 509

12.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.43 LKR 144

86.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.75 LKR 249

92.00%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.58 LKR 522

49.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$14.00 LKR 4,636

-32.93%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.79 LKR 1,586

33.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$7.37 LKR 2,440

15.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$6.90 LKR 2,285

-81.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$0.80 LKR 263

102.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$4.60 LKR 1,525

-62.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.26 LKR 419

53.97%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.03 LKR 341

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.76 LKR 251

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.88 LKR 290

-37.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.44 LKR 145

34.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$10.10 LKR 3,345

-67.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$13.78 LKR 4,563

-62.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.88 LKR 621

-42.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$3.07 LKR 1,017

-45.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.38 LKR 125

252.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.29 LKR 95.8

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$0.87 LKR 288

1056.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.05 LKR 349

40.95%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$36.4K LKR 12.0M

-19.88%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$40.2K LKR 13.3M

-47.98%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$52.9 LKR 17.5K

74.86%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$4.29 LKR 1,420

238.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$21.07 LKR 6,979

-41.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$4.49 LKR 1,488

25.17%

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

$230 BGN 401

$38.04 LKR 12.6K

505.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$1,220 LKR 404.1K

85.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$18.31 LKR 6,064

64.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$16.66 LKR 5,517

17.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$78.8 LKR 26.1K

-41.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$41.96 LKR 13.9K

13.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$154 LKR 51.1K

1004.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

12.69

-76.44%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Kurunegala: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Kurunegala

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Kurunegala

$238 50.1% 23.8% $46

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Kurunegala

$77 16.3% 46.9% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Kurunegala

$78 16.5% 34.4% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Kurunegala

$70 14.8% 8.7% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.9% 79.1% $34

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Kurunegala

$1.8 * 0.4% 94.8% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 1005% 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 $25.00 in Kurunegala. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $238 in Kurunegala – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🕒 Local time

19:46 7:46 PM

22:16 10:16 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

30,300

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Kurunegala 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Kurunegala

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 Kurunegala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $474 in Kurunegala – roughly 102% 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 $711 in Kurunegala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $956 in Bansko and $474 in Kurunegala. That's a gap of about 102%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $38.04 in Kurunegala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kurunegala, where all-in costs run around $474, than in Bansko at $956. In Kurunegala 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 $474 in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala. 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.