Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Surat Thani

For one person, living is cheaper in Surat Thani: $775 a month against $965 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Surat Thani
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Surat Thani Living Index

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Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$965

/mo nomad

Surat Thani

🇹🇭 Thailand

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bansko and in Surat Thani

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Bansko vs $775 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bansko $965
Surat Thani $775

A couple spends around $1,481 per month in Bansko vs $1,414 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bansko $1,481
Surat Thani $1,414

A family of three spends $1,998 per month in Bansko vs $2,053 in Surat Thani, rent included.

Bansko $1,998
Surat Thani $2,053

Bansko costs about 24% more than Surat Thani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Surat Thani are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 29% lower, Surat Thani 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.74 BGN 15.20

$1.89 ฿63.0

362.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.37 BGN 80.7

$17.87 ฿597

159.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$4.51 ฿151

97.78%

Cappuccino

$2.27 BGN 3.94

$1.50 ฿50.2

51.33%

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

$1.57 BGN 2.73

$0.50 ฿16.68

214.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BGN 1.54

$0.29 ฿9.66

206.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$2.56 ฿85.4

-32.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 BGN 3.39

$3.69 ฿123

-47.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.79 BGN 3.11

$1.66 ฿55.4

7.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 BGN 1.42

$1.19 ฿39.89

-31.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 BGN 2.62

$1.17 ฿39.13

29.06%

Eggs

$2.35 BGN 4.09

$1.87 ฿62.4

25.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 BGN 16.61

$19.18 ฿641

-50.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.63 BGN 11.54

$3.33 ฿111

99.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.37 BGN 14.57

$7.44 ฿249

12.50%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$2.91 ฿97.2

-55.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.93

$1.68 ฿56.3

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 BGN 2.92

$1.76 ฿58.7

-4.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 BGN 3.34

$2.05 ฿68.4

-6.34%

Potato (1kg)

$0.94 BGN 1.63

$1.30 ฿43.57

-27.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 BGN 1.31

$1.37 ฿45.90

-45.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.59 BGN 1.02

$1.11 ฿37.24

-46.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.58 BGN 1.02

$0.41 ฿13.66

41.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.26 BGN 5.67

$3.07 ฿103

6.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 BGN 9.04

$18.86 ฿630

-72.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 BGN 1.98

$1.54 ฿51.6

-25.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.82 ฿60.7

-4.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$1.02 ฿34.00

-11.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.72 BGN 46.50

$20.95 ฿700

27.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 BGN 2.26

$1.18 ฿39.50

10.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 BGN 1.06

$0.63 ฿21.05

-3.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.29 BGN 17.91

$3.49 ฿117

194.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 BGN 2.71

$1.16 ฿38.93

34.48%

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

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

$26.6K ฿890.1K

9.42%

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

$21.3K BGN 37.1K

$27.3K ฿911.7K

-21.80%

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

$92.8 BGN 161

$72.9 ฿2,437

27.28%

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

$15.05 BGN 26.18

$11.12 ฿372

35.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.19 BGN 21.21

$17.32 ฿579

-29.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.83 BGN 57.1

$48.24 ฿1,612

-31.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.40 BGN 14.61

$11.52 ฿385

-27.08%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BGN 9.67

$4.53 ฿151

22.74%

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

$230 BGN 400

$549 ฿18.3K

-58.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,295 BGN 3,994

$11.6K ฿386.5K

-80.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.31 BGN 52.7

$61.9 ฿2,070

-51.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.41 BGN 33.78

$29.16 ฿974

-33.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.34 BGN 78.9

$97.3 ฿3,252

-53.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.47 BGN 84.3

$86.5 ฿2,892

-43.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 BGN 894

$237 ฿7,910

117.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 BGN 627

$149 ฿4,985

141.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 BGN 1,096

$1,150 ฿38.4K

-45.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$571 BGN 993

$709 ฿23.7K

-19.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,202 BGN 2,091

$2,226 ฿74.4K

-46.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$972 BGN 1,691

$1,404 ฿46.9K

-30.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,665 BGN 2,898

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

5.57

-46.32%

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

Last update for Bansko: October 18, 2026

Last update for Surat Thani: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$361 37.4%

Surat Thani

$149 19.3% 58.6% $211

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$194 20.2%

Surat Thani

$244 31.5% 25.6% $50

Eating Out

Bansko

$146 15.2%

Surat Thani

$70 9% 52.2% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$120 12.5%

Surat Thani

$101 13.1% 15.6% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Surat Thani

$124 16% 91.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$44 4.6%

Surat Thani

$57 7.4% 30.4% $13

Getting Around

Bansko

$35 3.6%

Surat Thani

$29 3.8% 15.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Bansko versus $237 in Surat Thani. 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 $46.00 in Bansko versus $18.00 in Surat Thani. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Bansko vs $244 in Surat Thani – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇹🇭 Surat Thani

🕒 Local time

22:11 10:11 PM

02:11 2:11 AM

4 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

132,040

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bansko Surat Thani 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
Surat Thani

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 Surat Thani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $965 in Bansko, $775 in Surat Thani – roughly 24% 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 $1,163 in Surat Thani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Surat Thani, 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 $46.00 in Bansko and $18.00 in Surat Thani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Bansko and $775 in Surat Thani. That's a gap of about 24%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Surat Thani, where all-in costs run around $775, than in Bansko at $965. In Surat Thani 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 $775 in Surat Thani 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 Surat Thani. 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.