Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Port Moresby

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent and utilities included – about $6,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
74

Cost of Living Index in Port Moresby
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Port Moresby Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Port Moresby

🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea

$1,532

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Port Moresby

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $1,532 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Bansko $970
Port Moresby $1,532

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $2,418 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Port Moresby $2,418

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $3,305 in Port Moresby, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Port Moresby $3,305

Bansko is about 37% cheaper than Port Moresby, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Bansko sits 28% below the global median, while Port Moresby is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$7.76 PGK 33.99

11.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$43.89 PGK 192

6.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$5.38 PGK 23.59

67.47%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$2.44 PGK 10.69

-8.20%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.77 PGK 3.38

94.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.67 PGK 2.95

28.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.91 PGK 12.74

-39.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$3.56 PGK 15.60

-43.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.82 PGK 7.97

-1.65%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.54 PGK 6.74

-47.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$1.39 PGK 6.09

9.35%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$3.62 PGK 15.86

-36.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$8.64 PGK 37.85

11.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$5.60 PGK 24.56

12.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$9.92 PGK 43.47

-12.90%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$4.21 PGK 18.45

-69.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$3.12 PGK 13.67

-46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$7.01 PGK 30.72

-75.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$6.56 PGK 28.75

-71.19%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$3.40 PGK 14.92

-72.65%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$2.92 PGK 12.79

-73.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$2.33 PGK 10.21

-76.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$1.29 PGK 5.64

-55.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$6.26 PGK 27.45

-45.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$10.73 PGK 47.05

-52.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$2.54 PGK 11.11

-56.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$3.51 PGK 15.39

-51.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.42 PGK 1.86

109.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

$21.95 PGK 96.2

21.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$5.43 PGK 23.79

-76.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$2.25 PGK 9.87

-71.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$15.47 PGK 67.8

-34.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.94 PGK 4.13

59.57%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$49.2K PGK 215.6K

-41.44%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$17.3K PGK 75.6K

24.33%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$117 PGK 513

-21.93%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$22.67 PGK 99.4

-35.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$91.2 PGK 400

-86.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$60.2 PGK 264

-46.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$22.04 PGK 96.6

-60.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$8.74 PGK 38.31

-35.58%

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

$228 BGN 400

$836 PGK 3,665

-72.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$6,242 PGK 27.4K

-62.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$32.86 PGK 144

-7.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$31.67 PGK 139

-39.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$136 PGK 595

-66.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$160 PGK 702

-69.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$1,577 PGK 6,912

-66.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$551 PGK 2,414

-33.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$3,049 PGK 13.4K

-79.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$1,129 PGK 4,946

-50.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$2,035 PGK 8,918

-40.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$3,755 PGK 16.5K

-74.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$429 PGK 1,882

289.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

12.17

-75.43%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Port Moresby: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Port Moresby

$551 36.3% 50% $184

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Port Moresby

$320 21.1% 65.6% $127

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Port Moresby

$135 8.9% 7.2% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Port Moresby

$231 15.2% 95.4% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Port Moresby

$162 10.7% 151% $97

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Port Moresby

$78 5.1% 78.5% $34

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Port Moresby

$40 2.7% 15.8% $5.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $1,577 in Port Moresby. 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 289% 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 $47.00 in Bansko versus $44.00 in Port Moresby. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $320 in Port Moresby – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇵🇬 Port Moresby

🕒 Local time

15:36 3:36 PM

22:36 10:36 PM

7 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

364,145 Capital

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Papua New Guinean Kina PGK K

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.51 EUR

1 PGK = 0.228 USD

1 PGK = 0.204 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PGK, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.51 EUR).

Papua New Guinean Kina exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.38 PGK (1 PGK = 0.228 USD). 1 EUR = 4.91 PGK (1 PGK = 0.204 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Port Moresby 13,470 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Port Moresby

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 Port Moresby: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $1,532 in Port Moresby – roughly 58% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $2,298 in Port Moresby. 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 $47.00 in Bansko and $44.00 in Port Moresby. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $970 in Bansko and $1,532 in Port Moresby. That's a gap of about 58%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Port Moresby at $1,532. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Port Moresby 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,532 in Port Moresby. 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, Port Moresby makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.