Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Surabaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Surabaya: $688 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Surabaya
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Surabaya Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Surabaya

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$688

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Surabaya

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

A single person spends $970 per month in Bansko vs $688 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bansko $970
Surabaya $688

A couple spends around $1,464 per month in Bansko vs $1,191 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bansko $1,464
Surabaya $1,191

A family of three spends $1,957 per month in Bansko vs $1,695 in Surabaya, rent included.

Bansko $1,957
Surabaya $1,695

Bansko costs about 41% more than Surabaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Surabaya are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Surabaya 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.66 BGN 15.15

$1.69 Rp 30.2K

412.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.63 BGN 81.6

$11.40 Rp 203.9K

309.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.01 BGN 15.77

$3.05 Rp 54.6K

195.41%

Cappuccino

$2.24 BGN 3.92

$1.57 Rp 28.0K

42.68%

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

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.61 Rp 10.8K

145.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 BGN 1.51

$0.28 Rp 5,026

207.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

$2.26 Rp 40.5K

-22.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

$4.09 Rp 73.1K

-51.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.14

$1.22 Rp 21.8K

46.72%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

-36.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 BGN 2.66

$0.84 Rp 15.0K

80.95%

Eggs

$2.30 BGN 4.02

$1.20 Rp 21.5K

91.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

$7.66 Rp 136.9K

25.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.32 BGN 11.06

$3.08 Rp 55.0K

105.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.12

$7.85 Rp 140.3K

10.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

$2.09 Rp 37.4K

-38.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.95

$1.30 Rp 23.2K

29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

-6.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

$1.56 Rp 27.8K

21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

-28.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

$1.91 Rp 34.2K

-60.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

$0.96 Rp 17.2K

-43.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.43 Rp 7,679

34.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 BGN 6.02

$1.94 Rp 34.6K

77.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

$24.67 Rp 441.1K

-79.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

$1.73 Rp 30.9K

-35.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$3.00 Rp 53.5K

-43.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

$0.32 Rp 5,669

175.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 BGN 2.26

$0.48 Rp 8,519

168.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 BGN 1.14

$0.43 Rp 7,679

51.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.18 BGN 17.81

$2.61 Rp 46.7K

290.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.63

$0.83 Rp 14.8K

80.72%

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

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

$25.0K Rp 446.0M

15.46%

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

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

$32.8K Rp 585.5M

-34.51%

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

$91.4 BGN 160

$86.2 Rp 1.5M

6.13%

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

$14.68 BGN 25.68

$4.58 Rp 81.9K

220.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.07 BGN 21.12

$19.24 Rp 343.9K

-37.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.28 BGN 56.5

$17.96 Rp 321.0K

79.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.60 BGN 15.05

$6.82 Rp 121.9K

26.10%

Cinema Ticket

$5.63 BGN 9.86

$2.72 Rp 48.7K

106.99%

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

$228 BGN 400

$280 Rp 5.0M

-18.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,045

$9,557 Rp 170.8M

-75.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.48 BGN 53.3

$70.0 Rp 1.3M

-56.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.01 BGN 33.26

$39.31 Rp 702.6K

-51.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.53 BGN 79.7

$81.4 Rp 1.5M

-44.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.67 BGN 85.2

$73.4 Rp 1.3M

-33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$521 BGN 913

$279 Rp 5.0M

87.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$367 BGN 643

$147 Rp 2.6M

150.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 BGN 1,110

$1,247 Rp 22.3M

-49.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$558 BGN 976

$620 Rp 11.1M

-10.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

$2,155 Rp 38.5M

-44.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

$1,047 Rp 18.7M

-7.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

$273 Rp 4.9M

511.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

7.5

-60.13%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Last update for Surabaya: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$367 38%

Surabaya

$147 21.7% 60% $221

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 20%

Surabaya

$209 30.9% 8.2% $16

Eating Out

Bansko

$145 15%

Surabaya

$65 9.5% 55.6% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$118 12.2%

Surabaya

$110 16.3% 6.9% $8.2

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Surabaya

$119 17.6% 83.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.5%

Surabaya

$23 3.5% 46.2% $20

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Surabaya

$3.9 * 0.6% 88.8% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $521 in Bansko versus $279 in Surabaya. 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 512% 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 $47.00 in Bansko versus $11.00 in Surabaya. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Bansko vs $209 in Surabaya – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇮🇩 Surabaya

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

13:20 1:20 PM

4 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

2,765,487

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, 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 = 0.509 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Surabaya 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Surabaya

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 Surabaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $970 in Bansko, $688 in Surabaya – roughly 41% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,455 per month in Bansko and $1,032 in Surabaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surabaya, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $970 in Bansko and $688 in Surabaya. That's a gap of about 41%.

Kindergarten costs $228 per month in Bansko and $280 in Surabaya. 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 Surabaya, where all-in costs run around $688, than in Bansko at $970. In Surabaya 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 $688 in Surabaya to $970 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 Surabaya. 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.