Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $503 a month against $965 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Ragama

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Bansko vs $503 in Ragama, rent included.

Bansko $965
Ragama $503

A couple spends around $1,481 per month in Bansko vs $814 in Ragama, rent included.

Bansko $1,481
Ragama $814

A family of three spends $1,998 per month in Bansko vs $1,125 in Ragama, rent included.

Bansko $1,998
Ragama $1,125

Bansko costs about 92% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 BGN 15.20

$3.73 LKR 1,237

134.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.37 BGN 80.7

$24.62 LKR 8,154

88.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$7.63 LKR 2,528

16.91%

Cappuccino

$2.27 BGN 3.94

$2.50 LKR 828

-9.20%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.73

$0.72 LKR 239

118.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.25 LKR 82.7

256.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.15 LKR 711

-19.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$2.99 LKR 990

-34.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.11

$1.42 LKR 470

26.06%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$0.47 LKR 155

72.34%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$0.68 LKR 226

122.06%

Eggs

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.73 LKR 573

35.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 BGN 16.61

$13.87 LKR 4,593

-31.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 BGN 11.54

$4.74 LKR 1,571

39.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.37 BGN 14.57

$7.33 LKR 2,428

14.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$6.69 LKR 2,217

-80.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$0.81 LKR 268

107.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$4.27 LKR 1,414

-60.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.34

$1.28 LKR 423

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.03 LKR 341

-8.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$0.77 LKR 254

-2.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$0.89 LKR 296

-33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.45 LKR 149

28.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 BGN 5.67

$10.11 LKR 3,350

-67.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.04

$13.09 LKR 4,336

-60.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$1.97 LKR 653

-42.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$2.94 LKR 974

-40.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.72 BGN 46.50

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$0.37 LKR 123

251.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.35 LKR 115

74.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 BGN 17.91

$0.93 LKR 308

1006.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$1.38 LKR 459

13.04%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$44.6K LKR 14.8M

-34.61%

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

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-46.75%

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

$92.8 BGN 161

$59.5 LKR 19.7K

55.93%

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

$15.05 BGN 26.18

$4.28 LKR 1,416

251.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 BGN 21.21

$21.08 LKR 6,982

-42.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 BGN 57.1

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BGN 9.67

$4.45 LKR 1,474

24.94%

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

$230 BGN 400

$37.59 LKR 12.5K

511.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,295 BGN 3,994

$1,188 LKR 393.5K

93.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.31 BGN 52.7

$18.21 LKR 6,030

66.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.41 BGN 33.78

$16.89 LKR 5,595

14.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.34 BGN 78.9

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

-43.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.47 BGN 84.3

$41.92 LKR 13.9K

15.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 BGN 894

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 BGN 627

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 BGN 1,096

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 BGN 993

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,202 BGN 2,091

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 BGN 1,691

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 BGN 2,898

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 18, 2026

Last update for Ragama: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$361 37.4%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$194 20.2%

Ragama

$233 46.4% 19.9% $39

Eating Out

Bansko

$146 15.2%

Ragama

$103 20.6% 29.3% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$120 12.5%

Ragama

$85 16.9% 29.3% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Ragama

$71 14% 9.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.6%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 79.7% $35

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 93.9% $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 $46.00 in Bansko versus $25.00 in Ragama. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Bansko vs $233 in Ragama – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

23:43 11:43 PM

02:13 2:13 AM

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 20, 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 20, 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 Ragama 6,740 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Bansko, $503 in Ragama – roughly 92% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,447 per month in Bansko and $754 in Ragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Bansko and $503 in Ragama. That's a gap of about 92%.

Kindergarten costs $230 per month in Bansko and $37.59 in Ragama. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ragama, where all-in costs run around $503, than in Bansko at $965. In Ragama 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 $503 in Ragama to $965 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 Ragama. 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.