Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Negombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Negombo: $402 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Negombo
Learn more

Negombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Negombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$402

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Negombo

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $402 in Negombo, rent included.

Bansko $956
Negombo $402

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $649 in Negombo, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Negombo $649

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $897 in Negombo, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Negombo $897

Bansko costs about 138% more than Negombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Negombo are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Negombo 70% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$4.48 LKR 1,483

93.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$16.63 LKR 5,508

170.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$7.59 LKR 2,516

15.68%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$1.23 LKR 406

89.43%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.69 LKR 228

127.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.25 LKR 82.5

228.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.15 LKR 712

-21.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.95 LKR 978

-32.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.57 LKR 521

10.19%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.53 LKR 174

50.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.74 LKR 245

94.59%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.64 LKR 543

43.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$14.01 LKR 4,642

-32.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.12 LKR 1,366

55.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$6.00 LKR 1,986

41.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$1.77 LKR 585

-25.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$0.69 LKR 229

134.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.23 LKR 738

-22.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.19 LKR 395

63.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$0.73 LKR 242

28.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.81 LKR 267

-6.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.93 LKR 308

-40.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.43 LKR 142

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$10.14 LKR 3,359

-67.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$13.52 LKR 4,480

-61.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.95 LKR 646

-44.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$3.01 LKR 997

-44.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.29 LKR 94.9

189.66%

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

$0.37 LKR 124

75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$0.90 LKR 297

1017.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.00 LKR 332

48.00%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$37.3K LKR 12.3M

-21.78%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-48.79%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$25.65 LKR 8,497

260.35%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$4.21 LKR 1,395

244.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$20.85 LKR 6,908

-40.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$15.27 LKR 5,059

107.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$9.07 LKR 3,004

-5.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$2.45 LKR 813

129.39%

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

$230 BGN 401

$37.97 LKR 12.6K

506.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$446 LKR 147.9K

408.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$8.82 LKR 2,920

241.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$16.87 LKR 5,586

16.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$36.78 LKR 12.2K

24.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$24.22 LKR 8,023

96.90%

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

$180 LKR 59.7K

845.18%

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 Negombo: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Negombo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Negombo

$194 48.4% 1.4% $2.6

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Negombo

$94 23.4% 35.6% $52

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Negombo

$51 12.6% 57.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Negombo

$39 9.7% 39.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Negombo

$20 5% 53% $23

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Negombo

$3.4 * 0.8% 90.3% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 845% 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 $17.00 in Negombo. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $194 in Negombo – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇱🇰 Negombo

🕒 Local time

19:41 7:41 PM

22:11 10:11 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

142,449

💱 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 Negombo 6,720 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Negombo

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 Negombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $402 in Negombo – roughly 138% 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 $602 in Negombo. 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 $402 in Negombo. That's a gap of about 138%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $37.97 in Negombo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Negombo, where all-in costs run around $402, than in Bansko at $956. In Negombo 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 $402 in Negombo 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 Negombo. 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.