Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Palawan

For one person, living is cheaper in Palawan: $792 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Palawan
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Palawan Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Palawan

🇵🇭 Philippines

$792

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Palawan

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $792 in Palawan, rent included.

Bansko $956
Palawan $792

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $1,230 in Palawan, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Palawan $1,230

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,668 in Palawan, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Palawan $1,668

Bansko costs about 21% more than Palawan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Palawan are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Palawan 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$3.62 ₱228

139.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$19.14 ₱1,205

134.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$3.37 ₱212

160.53%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.05

$2.63 ₱165

-11.41%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$0.83 ₱52.5

89.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.39 ₱24.65

110.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.29 ₱81.4

30.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.16 ₱136

-8.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.90 ₱120

-8.95%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$1.26 ₱79.4

-36.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$1.01 ₱63.5

42.57%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.98 ₱125

19.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$7.83 ₱493

19.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.21 ₱265

52.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$7.78 ₱490

9.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$3.00 ₱189

-56.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$1.56 ₱98.2

3.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.72 ₱171

-36.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.62 ₱102

19.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$2.31 ₱146

-59.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.59 ₱163

-70.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$1.06 ₱66.9

-48.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.71 ₱44.86

-16.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$2.78 ₱175

16.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$6.85 ₱431

-24.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.20 ₱75.4

-9.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.03 ₱128

-17.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

$0.28 ₱17.81

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

$11.29 ₱711

139.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 BGN 2.34

$0.83 ₱52.4

61.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.24 ₱15.20

170.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$2.15 ₱136

367.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.10 ₱69.2

34.55%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$26.5K ₱1.7M

9.97%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$20.1K ₱1.3M

4.29%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$114 ₱7,183

-18.99%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$32.54 ₱2,049

-55.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$27.55 ₱1,734

-55.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

$34.48 ₱2,171

-8.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

$4.36 ₱275

95.64%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 BGN 9.78

$5.80 ₱365

-3.10%

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

$230 BGN 401

$150 ₱9,463

53.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$4,228 ₱266.2K

-46.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$45.09 ₱2,839

-33.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$26.54 ₱1,671

-26.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$74.9 ₱4,713

-38.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$53.6 ₱3,377

-11.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

$264 ₱16.6K

95.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

$177 ₱11.1K

101.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

$589 ₱37.1K

4.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

$390 ₱24.5K

45.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

$2,359 ₱148.5K

-49.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

$994 ₱62.6K

-3.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

6.67

-55.17%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Last update for Palawan: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Palawan

$177 22.4% 50.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Palawan

$204 25.7% 6.1% $12

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Palawan

$86 10.9% 40.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Palawan

$174 22% 46% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Palawan

$90 11.4% 39.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Palawan

$46 5.8% 7.3% $3.1

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Palawan

$14 1.8% 58.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $518 in Bansko versus $264 in Palawan. 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 $45.00 in Bansko versus $19.00 in Palawan. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $204 in Palawan – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇵🇭 Palawan

🕒 Local time

03:21 3:21 AM

08:21 8:21 AM

5 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

939,594

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.78 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Palawan 9,710 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Palawan

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 Palawan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $792 in Palawan – roughly 21% 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 $1,187 in Palawan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Palawan, 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 $19.00 in Palawan. 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 $792 in Palawan. That's a gap of about 21%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Palawan, where all-in costs run around $792, than in Bansko at $956. In Palawan 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 $792 in Palawan 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 Palawan. 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.