Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $774 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $2,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Bentota
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$774
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$956
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bentota 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 Bentota and in Bansko actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $774 per month in Bentota vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Bentota $774
  • Bansko $956

A couple spends around $896 per month in Bentota vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Bentota $896
  • Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,018 per month in Bentota vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Bentota $1,018
  • Bansko $1,979

Bentota is about 19% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.29 LKR 1,421
$8.66 BGN 15.06
-50.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$11.97 LKR 3,965
$44.94 BGN 78.2
-73.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.73 LKR 2,560
$8.78 BGN 15.28
-11.96%
Cappuccino
$2.46 LKR 815
$2.33 BGN 4.05
5.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 LKR 225
$1.57 BGN 2.74
-56.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 LKR 82.2
$0.82 BGN 1.43
-69.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.24 LKR 742
$1.68 BGN 2.92
33.33%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.07 LKR 1,016
$1.98 BGN 3.45
55.05%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.62 LKR 535
$1.73 BGN 3.00
-6.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.53 LKR 176
$0.80 BGN 1.40
-33.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 LKR 244
$1.44 BGN 2.51
-48.61%
Eggs
$1.56 LKR 518
$2.36 BGN 4.10
-33.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.03 LKR 4,648
$9.39 BGN 16.34
49.41%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.32 LKR 1,099
$6.41 BGN 11.15
-48.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.62 LKR 1,529
$8.48 BGN 14.76
-45.52%
Apples (1kg)
$6.81 LKR 2,257
$1.31 BGN 2.28
419.85%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 LKR 241
$1.62 BGN 2.82
-54.94%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.59 LKR 1,519
$1.73 BGN 3.01
165.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.90 LKR 297
$1.94 BGN 3.38
-53.61%
Potato (1kg)
$1.00 LKR 331
$0.94 BGN 1.63
6.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.79 LKR 263
$0.76 BGN 1.32
3.95%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.94 LKR 312
$0.55 BGN 0.95
70.91%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 143
$0.59 BGN 1.02
-27.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.13 LKR 3,356
$3.25 BGN 5.66
211.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.36 LKR 4,424
$5.20 BGN 9.05
156.92%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 LKR 645
$1.09 BGN 1.89
78.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 LKR 963
$1.68 BGN 2.92
73.21%
🚌 Getting Around
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 LKR 61.0
$0.84 BGN 1.45
-78.57%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$27.06 BGN 47.09
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.40 LKR 133
$1.34 BGN 2.34
-70.15%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 LKR 103
$0.65 BGN 1.14
-52.31%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.87 LKR 289
$10.06 BGN 17.51
-91.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.39 LKR 461
$1.48 BGN 2.57
-6.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$37.2K LKR 12.3M
$29.1K BGN 50.7K
27.52%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$40.1K LKR 13.3M
$20.9K BGN 36.4K
91.79%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$54.0 LKR 17.9K
$92.4 BGN 161
-41.53%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$2.23 LKR 739
$14.52 BGN 25.26
-84.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$9.03 LKR 2,990
$12.32 BGN 21.43
-26.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$31.70 BGN 55.2
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$8.53 BGN 14.84
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.28 LKR 1,417
$5.62 BGN 9.78
-23.84%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$38.08 LKR 12.6K
$230 BGN 401
-83.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,230 LKR 407.3K
$2,268 BGN 3,947
-45.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.80 LKR 5,897
$30.10 BGN 52.4
-40.86%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$16.82 LKR 5,573
$19.62 BGN 34.13
-14.27%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.4 LKR 26.6K
$45.86 BGN 79.8
75.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$42.09 LKR 13.9K
$47.69 BGN 83.0
-11.74%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$541 LKR 179.2K
$518 BGN 902
4.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$298 LKR 98.7K
$357 BGN 621
-16.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$614 BGN 1,069
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$569 BGN 990
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,191 BGN 2,073
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$959 BGN 1,669
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Bentota
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,704 BGN 2,965
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12.69
2.99
324.41%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Bentota
$298
Bansko
$357 19.8% $59
Groceries & Markets
Bentota
$220
Bansko
$192 12.9% $28
Eating Out
Bentota
$108
Bansko
$145 34.6% $37
Clothing & Footwear
Bentota
$71
Bansko
$64 8.8% $6.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Bentota
$65
Bansko
$119 82.6% $54
Sport & Entertainment
Bentota
$8.6 *
Bansko
$43 402% $34
Getting Around
Bentota
$2.7 *
Bansko
$35 1197% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $541 in Bentota versus $518 in Bansko. 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 $12.00 in Bentota versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $220 in Bentota vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Bentota
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
07:53 7:53 AM
05:23 5:23 AM
2 h 30 min behind Bentota
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
37,000
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Bentota Bansko 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Bentota
  • 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
Bentota vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Bentota and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $774 in Bentota, $956 in Bansko – roughly 24% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Bentota compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,160 per month in Bentota and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Bentota and Bansko?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Bentota, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Bentota or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $774 in Bentota and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 24%.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Bentota and Bansko?
Kindergarten costs $38.08 per month in Bentota and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Bentota, where all-in costs run around $774, than in Bansko at $956. In Bentota it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Bentota and Bansko?
It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $774 in Bentota to $956 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Bentota or Bansko safer for residents?
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.
How do I decide between Bentota and Bansko?
If budget matters most, go with Bentota. 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.

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