Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Polonnaruwa

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

A single person spends $956 per month in Bansko vs $506 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Bansko $956
Polonnaruwa $506

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Bansko vs $821 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Bansko $1,467
Polonnaruwa $821

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Bansko vs $1,136 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Bansko $1,979
Polonnaruwa $1,136

Bansko costs about 89% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Bansko and Polonnaruwa are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Polonnaruwa 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.06

$4.44 LKR 1,472

95.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.94 BGN 78.2

$24.02 LKR 7,957

87.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 BGN 15.28

$7.53 LKR 2,495

16.60%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

130.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 BGN 1.43

$0.25 LKR 82.6

228.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$2.17 LKR 718

-22.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$3.10 LKR 1,026

-36.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 BGN 3.00

$1.56 LKR 516

10.90%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 BGN 1.40

$0.57 LKR 190

40.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.51

$0.76 LKR 250

89.47%

Eggs

$2.36 BGN 4.10

$1.59 LKR 526

48.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.39 BGN 16.34

$13.60 LKR 4,505

-30.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.41 BGN 11.15

$4.88 LKR 1,618

31.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.48 BGN 14.76

$7.63 LKR 2,527

11.14%

Apples (1kg)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-80.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$0.79 LKR 260

105.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$4.58 LKR 1,517

-62.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.21 LKR 402

60.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.04 LKR 343

-9.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$0.82 LKR 271

-7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.95

$0.87 LKR 288

-36.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.43 LKR 143

37.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.25 BGN 5.66

$10.41 LKR 3,447

-68.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.05

$13.63 LKR 4,515

-61.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.89

$1.98 LKR 657

-44.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$3.06 LKR 1,014

-45.10%

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

$0.40 LKR 133

235.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.37 LKR 123

75.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

$0.87 LKR 288

1056.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 BGN 2.57

$1.37 LKR 455

8.03%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

-19.77%

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

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

-49.11%

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

$92.4 BGN 161

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

71.61%

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

$14.52 BGN 25.26

$4.26 LKR 1,412

240.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.32 BGN 21.43

$20.44 LKR 6,770

-39.73%

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

$4.48 LKR 1,485

25.45%

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

$230 BGN 401

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

506.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,268 BGN 3,947

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

90.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 BGN 52.4

$17.97 LKR 5,953

67.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.62 BGN 34.13

$16.63 LKR 5,508

17.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.86 BGN 79.8

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

-42.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.69 BGN 83.0

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

13.20%

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

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 Polonnaruwa: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$357 37.3%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$192 20.1%

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1% 24.1% $46

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15.2%

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3% 26% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.5%

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5% 34.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$64 6.7%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9% 9.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.5%

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8% 79.1% $34

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.7%

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5% 93.5% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $45.00 in Bansko versus $24.00 in Polonnaruwa. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Bansko vs $238 in Polonnaruwa – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

16:10 4:10 PM

18:40 6:40 PM

2 h 30 min ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

15,000

💱 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 Polonnaruwa 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $956 in Bansko, $506 in Polonnaruwa – roughly 89% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,434 per month in Bansko and $759 in Polonnaruwa. 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa. That's a gap of about 89%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $38.00 in Polonnaruwa. 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 Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Bansko at $956. In Polonnaruwa 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa. 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.