Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Labuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Labuan despite lower rent and utilities.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Labuan

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $1,020 in Labuan, rent included.

Bansko $956
Labuan $1,020

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,487 in Labuan, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Labuan $1,487

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,953 in Labuan, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Labuan $1,953

Bansko is about 6% cheaper than Labuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Labuan are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Labuan 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$5.52 MYR 22.53

56.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$24.16 MYR 98.6

86.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$6.66 MYR 27.19

31.83%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$3.93 MYR 16.05

-40.71%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.06 MYR 4.34

48.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.45 MYR 1.83

82.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$3.72 MYR 15.19

-54.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$4.53 MYR 18.48

-56.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.82 MYR 7.43

-4.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.04 MYR 4.26

-23.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$1.49 MYR 6.07

-3.36%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$2.10 MYR 8.58

12.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$16.82 MYR 68.6

-44.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.42 MYR 18.03

45.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$9.50 MYR 38.76

-10.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$3.17 MYR 12.95

-58.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.83 MYR 7.46

-11.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.39 MYR 9.75

-27.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.76 MYR 7.17

10.23%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.39 MYR 5.68

-32.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.03 MYR 4.20

-26.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$1.18 MYR 4.81

-53.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.54 MYR 2.20

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$5.04 MYR 20.57

-35.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$16.29 MYR 66.5

-68.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$3.21 MYR 13.11

-66.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$4.39 MYR 17.90

-61.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.78 MYR 3.17

7.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$10.66 MYR 43.48

153.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$1.34 MYR 5.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.48 MYR 1.97

35.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$6.48 MYR 26.43

55.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$0.88 MYR 3.58

68.18%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

-33.77%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

-35.69%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$48.90 MYR 199

89.02%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$9.68 MYR 39.49

50.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$27.69 MYR 113

-55.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$41.60 MYR 170

-23.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$7.68 MYR 31.32

11.07%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$4.29 MYR 17.51

31.00%

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

$230 BGN 401

$208 MYR 849

10.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

-67.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$55.8 MYR 228

-46.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$30.07 MYR 123

-34.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$87.0 MYR 355

-47.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$81.8 MYR 334

-41.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$433 MYR 1,768

19.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$342 MYR 1,397

4.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$641 MYR 2,614

-4.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$464 MYR 1,892

22.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$2,282 MYR 9,308

-47.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$1,136 MYR 4,636

-15.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

$374 MYR 1,525

355.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

4.06

-26.35%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Labuan

$342 33.6% 4.1% $14

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Labuan

$264 25.9% 37.7% $72

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Labuan

$145 14.2% 0.2% $0.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Labuan

$86 8.5% 27.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Labuan

$115 11.2% 77.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Labuan

$50 4.9% 16.9% $7.2

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Labuan

$18 1.7% 50% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $433 in Labuan. 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 356% 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 $45.00 in Bansko versus $24.00 in Labuan. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $264 in Labuan – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇲🇾 Labuan

🕒 Local time

08:19 8:19 AM

13:19 1:19 PM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

95,120

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MYR, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bansko Labuan 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Labuan

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 Labuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $1,020 in Labuan – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $1,530 in Labuan. 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 $45.00 in Bansko and $24.00 in Labuan. 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 $1,020 in Labuan. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Labuan at $1,020. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Labuan 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,020 in Labuan. 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, Labuan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.