Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kedah and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Kedah: $877 a month against $964 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

44

Cost of Living Index in Kedah
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Kedah Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Kedah

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$877

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$964

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $877 per month in Kedah vs $964 in Bansko, rent included.

Kedah $877
Bansko $964

A couple spends around $1,399 per month in Kedah vs $1,471 in Bansko, rent included.

Kedah $1,399
Bansko $1,471

A family of three spends $1,920 per month in Kedah vs $1,978 in Bansko, rent included.

Kedah $1,920
Bansko $1,978

Kedah is about 9% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Kedah and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Kedah 36% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.72 MYR 15.14

$8.34 BGN 14.68

-55.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.32 MYR 50.2

$45.11 BGN 79.4

-72.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.56 MYR 18.59

$9.14 BGN 16.08

-50.11%

Cappuccino

$2.91 MYR 11.87

$2.31 BGN 4.06

25.97%

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

$0.77 MYR 3.14

$1.57 BGN 2.76

-50.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 MYR 1.59

$0.87 BGN 1.53

-55.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.24 MYR 17.26

$1.70 BGN 2.99

149.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 MYR 17.75

$2.02 BGN 3.56

115.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 MYR 7.66

$1.74 BGN 3.06

8.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 MYR 4.32

$0.80 BGN 1.40

32.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 MYR 6.99

$1.47 BGN 2.58

17.01%

Eggs

$2.19 MYR 8.91

$2.24 BGN 3.95

-2.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.55 MYR 55.2

$9.50 BGN 16.73

42.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.34 MYR 17.69

$6.38 BGN 11.22

-31.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.84 MYR 36.02

$8.48 BGN 14.93

4.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 MYR 11.98

$1.25 BGN 2.20

135.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 MYR 6.65

$1.72 BGN 3.02

-5.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.75 MYR 11.20

$1.75 BGN 3.08

57.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.45 MYR 5.92

$1.97 BGN 3.46

-26.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MYR 4.48

$0.99 BGN 1.75

11.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MYR 4.43

$0.72 BGN 1.27

51.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 MYR 4.61

$0.59 BGN 1.04

91.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 MYR 2.34

$0.55 BGN 0.97

3.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.62 MYR 18.83

$3.35 BGN 5.90

37.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.76 MYR 76.5

$5.02 BGN 8.84

273.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 MYR 12.15

$1.08 BGN 1.91

175.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.33 MYR 21.72

$1.69 BGN 2.97

215.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 MYR 3.10

$0.82 BGN 1.44

-7.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.85 MYR 52.4

$26.75 BGN 47.09

-51.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.66 MYR 6.76

$1.30 BGN 2.28

27.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 MYR 1.54

$0.61 BGN 1.07

-37.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.29 MYR 29.70

$9.97 BGN 17.55

-26.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.60 MYR 2.46

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-60.00%

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

$45.6K MYR 185.9K

$28.9K BGN 51.0K

57.64%

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

$35.8K MYR 146.1K

$21.2K BGN 37.3K

69.28%

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

$36.47 MYR 149

$93.8 BGN 165

-61.11%

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

$9.66 MYR 39.35

$14.81 BGN 26.06

-34.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.48 MYR 120

$12.13 BGN 21.34

143.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.63 MYR 141

$32.80 BGN 57.7

5.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.85 MYR 27.92

$8.57 BGN 15.08

-20.07%

Cinema Ticket

$4.79 MYR 19.53

$5.51 BGN 9.70

-13.07%

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

$388 MYR 1,579

$228 BGN 402

69.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.7K MYR 43.4K

$2,259 BGN 3,977

371.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.9 MYR 240

$30.12 BGN 53.0

95.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.76 MYR 142

$19.45 BGN 34.24

78.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 MYR 333

$46.08 BGN 81.1

77.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.7 MYR 288

$48.97 BGN 86.2

44.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 MYR 1,458

$522 BGN 918

-31.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 MYR 1,051

$364 BGN 641

-29.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$712 MYR 2,902

$629 BGN 1,107

13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 MYR 2,472

$568 BGN 1,000

6.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,930 MYR 7,865

$1,159 BGN 2,041

66.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,258 MYR 5,124

$955 BGN 1,681

31.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,339 MYR 5,456

$1,669 BGN 2,938

-19.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.04

2.99

35.12%

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

Last update for Kedah: October 25, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kedah

$258 29.4%

Bansko

$364 37.8% 41.3% $106

Groceries & Markets

Kedah

$257 29.3%

Bansko

$192 19.9% 25.3% $65

Eating Out

Kedah

$113 12.9%

Bansko

$144 15% 27.7% $31

Clothing & Footwear

Kedah

$111 12.6%

Bansko

$65 6.8% 41.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kedah

$76 8.6%

Bansko

$121 12.5% 59.6% $45

Sport & Entertainment

Kedah

$44 5%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 0.9% $0.4

Getting Around

Kedah

$19 2.2%

Bansko

$34 3.6% 76.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Kedah 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 run about 25% higher in Bansko. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Kedah versus $45 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $257 in Kedah vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Kedah

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

22:47 10:47 PM

16:47 4:47 PM

6 h behind Kedah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

417,800

8,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.221 EUR

1 BGN = 0.568 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to MYR – Malaysian Ringgit Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇾 Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

Malaysian Ringgit exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.07 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.53 MYR (1 MYR = 0.221 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.76 BGN (1 BGN = 0.568 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kedah Bansko 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Kedah
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

Kedah vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $877 in Kedah, $964 in Bansko – roughly 10% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,316 per month in Kedah and $1,446 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kedah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $522 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $12 in Kedah and $45 in Bansko. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $877 in Kedah and $964 in Bansko. That’s a gap of about 10%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $877 in Kedah and $964 in Bansko, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $877 in Kedah to $964 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 Kedah. 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.