Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Koh Tao and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,038 in Koh Tao, rent and utilities included – about $820 less a year. The total is higher in Koh Tao despite lower rent and utilities.

50

Cost of Living Index in Koh Tao
Learn more

Koh Tao Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Koh Tao

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,038

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,038 per month in Koh Tao vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Koh Tao $1,038
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,702 per month in Koh Tao vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Koh Tao $1,702
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $2,367 per month in Koh Tao vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Koh Tao $2,367
Bansko $1,957

Koh Tao costs about 7% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Koh Tao and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Koh Tao 23% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 ฿126

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-56.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.47 ฿920

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-41.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.44 ฿249

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-17.43%

Cappuccino

$2.29 ฿76.7

$2.24 BGN 3.92

2.23%

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

$0.74 ฿24.85

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-50.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 ฿14.14

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.11 ฿70.5

$1.76 BGN 3.07

19.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿106

$2.00 BGN 3.51

58.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-12.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 ฿43.93

$0.81 BGN 1.42

61.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 ฿47.89

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-5.92%

Eggs

$2.08 ฿69.6

$2.30 BGN 4.02

-9.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 ฿623

$9.60 BGN 16.81

93.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.11 ฿104

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-50.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.34 ฿346

$8.64 BGN 15.12

19.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.5

$1.28 BGN 2.24

110.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 ฿51.7

$1.68 BGN 2.95

-8.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 ฿72.5

$1.70 BGN 2.98

27.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 ฿65.2

$1.89 BGN 3.30

3.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 ฿48.03

$0.93 BGN 1.63

53.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 ฿42.12

$0.76 BGN 1.32

65.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ฿35.35

$0.54 BGN 0.95

96.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.06 ฿136

$3.44 BGN 6.02

18.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.40 ฿583

$5.14 BGN 9.00

238.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.0

$1.11 BGN 1.94

50.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ฿88.0

$1.70 BGN 2.97

54.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.97 ฿65.9

$0.88 BGN 1.55

123.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.62 ฿87.6

$1.29 BGN 2.26

103.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ฿30.50

$0.65 BGN 1.14

40.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 ฿117

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-65.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 ฿43.27

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-14.00%

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

$23.8K ฿796.9K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

-17.38%

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

$24.3K ฿813.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

13.32%

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

$96.6 ฿3,235

$91.4 BGN 160

5.68%

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

$11.14 ฿373

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-24.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿564

$12.07 BGN 21.12

39.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 ฿1,827

$32.28 BGN 56.5

69.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 ฿389

$8.60 BGN 15.05

35.00%

Cinema Ticket

$7.88 ฿264

$5.63 BGN 9.86

39.96%

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

$547 ฿18.3K

$228 BGN 400

139.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K ฿383.3K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

395.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.7 ฿2,100

$30.48 BGN 53.3

105.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.43 ฿952

$19.01 BGN 33.26

49.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.2 ฿3,220

$45.53 BGN 79.7

111.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.2 ฿2,952

$48.67 BGN 85.2

81.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$535 ฿17.9K

$521 BGN 913

2.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 ฿11.9K

$367 BGN 643

-3.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 ฿51.3K

$634 BGN 1,110

141.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$897 ฿30.0K

$558 BGN 976

60.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,660 ฿89.0K

$1,204 BGN 2,106

120.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

$971 BGN 1,699

97.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,670 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

2.99

86.29%

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

Last update for Koh Tao: October 3, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Koh Tao

$354 34%

Bansko

$367 38% 3.8% $13

Groceries & Markets

Koh Tao

$252 24.2%

Bansko

$193 20% 23.3% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Koh Tao

$125 12%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 5.2% $6.4

Clothing & Footwear

Koh Tao

$124 11.9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 47.8% $59

Eating Out

Koh Tao

$101 9.7%

Bansko

$145 15% 43.5% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Koh Tao

$70 6.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 38.1% $27

Getting Around

Koh Tao

$15 * 1.5%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 132% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $535 in Koh Tao 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Koh Tao versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $252 in Koh Tao vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Koh Tao

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

13:31 1:31 PM

09:31 9:31 AM

4 h behind Koh Tao

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,382

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Koh Tao Bansko 8,130 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Koh Tao
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

Koh Tao vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,038 in Koh Tao, $970 in Bansko – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,557 per month in Koh Tao 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 Bansko, 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 $1,038 in Koh Tao and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 7%.

Kindergarten costs $547 per month in Koh Tao and $228 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $970, than in Koh Tao at $1,038. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Koh Tao it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Koh Tao has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $970 in Bansko to $1,038 in Koh Tao. 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 Bansko. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Koh Tao makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.