Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Batam and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Batam: $596 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Batam
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Batam Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Batam

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$596

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Batam and in Bansko

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Batam and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $596 per month in Batam vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Batam $596
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,010 per month in Batam vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Batam $1,010
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,424 per month in Batam vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Batam $1,424
Bansko $1,957

Batam is about 39% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Batam and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Batam 56% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-77.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.33 Rp 149.0K

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-82.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.01 Rp 71.7K

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-55.49%

Cappuccino

$2.12 Rp 37.9K

$2.24 BGN 3.92

-5.36%

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

$0.65 Rp 11.6K

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-56.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 Rp 5,617

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 Rp 45.3K

$1.76 BGN 3.07

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 Rp 65.5K

$2.00 BGN 3.51

83.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-35.75%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 Rp 19.8K

$0.81 BGN 1.42

37.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.5K

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-46.71%

Eggs

$1.24 Rp 22.1K

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-46.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.40 Rp 132.4K

$9.60 BGN 16.81

-22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.0K

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-62.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.35 Rp 77.7K

$8.64 BGN 15.12

-49.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.25 Rp 40.3K

$1.28 BGN 2.24

75.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 Rp 35.3K

$1.68 BGN 2.95

17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.02 Rp 36.2K

$1.70 BGN 2.98

18.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 Rp 18.0K

$1.89 BGN 3.30

-47.09%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 Rp 17.4K

$0.93 BGN 1.63

4.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 Rp 34.5K

$0.76 BGN 1.32

153.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 Rp 23.6K

$0.54 BGN 0.95

144.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,951

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-24.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.74 Rp 49.0K

$3.44 BGN 6.02

-20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.91 Rp 248.9K

$5.14 BGN 9.00

170.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 Rp 30.4K

$1.11 BGN 1.94

53.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 Rp 43.7K

$1.70 BGN 2.97

43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 Rp 6,667

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-57.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 Rp 20.5K

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-10.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 Rp 11.3K

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-3.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.55 Rp 63.4K

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-65.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.82 Rp 14.7K

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-45.33%

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

$28.3K Rp 506.8M

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-1.66%

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

$24.4K Rp 436.2M

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

13.65%

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

$68.6 Rp 1.2M

$91.4 BGN 160

-24.96%

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

$4.08 Rp 72.9K

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-72.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.00 Rp 411.5K

$12.07 BGN 21.12

90.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.70 Rp 477.7K

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-17.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.69 Rp 101.8K

$8.60 BGN 15.05

-33.84%

Cinema Ticket

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-53.46%

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

$82.4 Rp 1.5M

$228 BGN 400

-63.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,273 Rp 58.6M

$2,311 BGN 4,045

41.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.39 Rp 561.6K

$30.48 BGN 53.3

2.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.43 Rp 329.8K

$19.01 BGN 33.26

-3.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.2 Rp 1.2M

$45.53 BGN 79.7

43.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$24.41 Rp 436.7K

$48.67 BGN 85.2

-49.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$270 Rp 4.8M

$521 BGN 913

-48.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$148 Rp 2.7M

$367 BGN 643

-59.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$818 Rp 14.6M

$634 BGN 1,110

28.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$496 Rp 8.9M

$558 BGN 976

-11.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$559 Rp 10.0M

$1,204 BGN 2,106

-53.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 Rp 6.1M

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-79.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.17

2.99

340.47%

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

Last update for Batam: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Batam

$173 29.1%

Bansko

$193 20% 11.7% $20

Accommodation & Living

Batam

$148 25%

Bansko

$367 38% 148% $219

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Batam

$96 16.1%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 23.5% $22

Eating Out

Batam

$77 13%

Bansko

$145 15% 88.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Batam

$63 10.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 3.1% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Batam

$32 5.4%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 36.3% $12

Getting Around

Batam

$5.8 * 1%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 502% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $270 in Batam versus $521 in Bansko. 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 387% 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 $8.00 in Batam versus $47.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $173 vs $193 – making Batam the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Batam

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

11:53 11:53 AM

07:53 7:53 AM

4 h behind Batam

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,196,396

8,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,890 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,065 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.98 EUR).

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).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Batam Bansko 9,140 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Batam
Bansko

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

Batam vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $596 in Batam, $970 in Bansko – roughly 63% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $894 per month in Batam and $1,455 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Batam, 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 $596 in Batam and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 63%.

Kindergarten costs $82.4 per month in Batam and $228 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Batam, where all-in costs run around $596, than in Bansko at $970. In Batam 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 $596 in Batam 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 Batam. 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.