Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Davao and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Davao: $839 a month against $964 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Davao, Philippines
Bansko, Bulgaria
Davao
🇵🇭 Philippines
$839
/mo nomad
Bansko
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$964
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $839 per month in Davao vs $964 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Davao $839
  • Bansko $964

A couple spends around $1,275 per month in Davao vs $1,471 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Davao $1,275
  • Bansko $1,471

A family of three spends $1,712 per month in Davao vs $1,978 in Bansko, rent included.

  • Davao $1,712
  • Bansko $1,978

Davao is about 13% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Davao and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Davao 38% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.71 ₱300
$8.34 BGN 14.60
-43.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.33 ₱1,677
$45.11 BGN 78.9
-41.63%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$3.83 ₱244
$9.14 BGN 15.99
-58.10%
Cappuccino
$2.53 ₱161
$2.31 BGN 4.04
9.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 ₱67.5
$1.57 BGN 2.75
-32.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 ₱39.75
$0.87 BGN 1.52
-28.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.53 ₱97.3
$1.70 BGN 2.97
-10.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 ₱151
$2.02 BGN 3.54
17.82%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.96 ₱125
$1.74 BGN 3.04
12.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 ₱68.2
$0.80 BGN 1.39
33.75%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 ₱58.1
$1.47 BGN 2.57
-38.10%
Eggs
$1.84 ₱117
$2.24 BGN 3.93
-17.86%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.41 ₱408
$9.50 BGN 16.63
-32.53%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.59 ₱293
$6.38 BGN 11.16
-28.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$8.97 ₱572
$8.48 BGN 14.85
5.78%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 ₱171
$1.25 BGN 2.19
114.40%
Banana (1kg)
$1.06 ₱67.5
$1.72 BGN 3.01
-38.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.43 ₱155
$1.75 BGN 3.06
38.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.14 ₱72.5
$1.97 BGN 3.44
-42.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.99 ₱126
$0.99 BGN 1.74
101.01%
Onion (1kg)
$3.35 ₱214
$0.72 BGN 1.26
365.28%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.24 ₱78.9
$0.59 BGN 1.03
110.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.71 ₱45.16
$0.55 BGN 0.96
29.09%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.46 ₱157
$3.35 BGN 5.87
-26.57%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.99 ₱509
$5.02 BGN 8.79
59.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 ₱80.7
$1.08 BGN 1.89
17.59%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 ₱101
$1.69 BGN 2.95
-6.51%
🚌 Getting Around
Davao
Bansko
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.21 ₱13.37
$0.82 BGN 1.43
-74.39%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$13.16 ₱838
$26.75 BGN 46.82
-50.80%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.81 ₱51.5
$1.30 BGN 2.27
-37.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.24 ₱15.37
$0.61 BGN 1.07
-60.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.83 ₱117
$9.97 BGN 17.45
-81.64%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 ₱77.4
$1.50 BGN 2.62
-18.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.3K ₱1.4M
$28.9K BGN 50.7K
-26.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.0K ₱1.2M
$21.2K BGN 37.1K
-10.06%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$105 ₱6,681
$93.8 BGN 164
11.86%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$19.14 ₱1,219
$14.81 BGN 25.92
29.24%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.17 ₱1,921
$12.13 BGN 21.22
148.72%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$34.37 ₱2,189
$32.80 BGN 57.4
4.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.44 ₱219
$8.57 BGN 14.99
-59.86%
Cinema Ticket
$4.75 ₱303
$5.51 BGN 9.64
-13.79%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$104 ₱6,643
$228 BGN 400
-54.35%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,536 ₱480.0K
$2,259 BGN 3,954
233.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$61.0 ₱3,888
$30.12 BGN 52.7
102.66%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 ₱1,958
$19.45 BGN 34.04
58.05%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.7 ₱4,438
$46.08 BGN 80.6
51.22%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.1 ₱3,827
$48.97 BGN 85.7
22.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Davao
Bansko
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$350 ₱22.3K
$522 BGN 913
-32.91%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$229 ₱14.6K
$364 BGN 638
-37.13%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$723 ₱46.0K
$629 BGN 1,100
14.94%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$404 ₱25.7K
$568 BGN 994
-28.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,584 ₱100.9K
$1,159 BGN 2,029
36.58%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,364 ₱86.9K
$955 BGN 1,671
42.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Davao
Bansko
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$207 ₱13.2K
$1,669 BGN 2,921
-87.60%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
8.31
2.99
177.93%

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

Last update for Davao: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Davao
$229
Bansko
$364 59.1% $135
Groceries & Markets
Davao
$197
Bansko
$192 2.8% $5.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Davao
$154
Bansko
$121 21.7% $33
Clothing & Footwear
Davao
$100
Bansko
$65 34.7% $35
Eating Out
Davao
$99
Bansko
$144 46.2% $46
Sport & Entertainment
Davao
$44
Bansko
$44 0.1% $0
Getting Around
Davao
$16
Bansko
$34 115% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $350 in Davao versus $522 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 in Bansko are about 8.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Davao versus $45 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Davao vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇵🇭 Davao
🇧🇬 Bansko
🕒 Local time
09:24 9:24 AM
03:24 3:24 AM
6 h behind Davao
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,632,991
8,000
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 63.69 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.12 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Davao Bansko 10,470 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Davao
  • 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
Davao vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Davao and in Bansko compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $839 in Davao, $964 in Bansko – Davao comes out roughly 13% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Davao compared to Bansko?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,258 per month in Davao and $1,446 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Davao and Bansko?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Davao, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $350 there versus $522 in Bansko.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Davao and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more expensive overall: Davao or Bansko?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $839 in Davao and $964 in Bansko. That makes Davao about 13% cheaper.
How does quality of life compare between Davao and Bansko?
It depends on your priorities. Davao has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $839 in Davao to $964 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Davao or Bansko safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
How do I decide between Davao and Bansko?
If budget matters most, go with Davao. If higher salaries 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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