Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $970 a month against $1,699 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $8,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
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Kuala Belait Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,699

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,699 per month in Kuala Belait vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,699
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,569
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $3,438 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,438
Bansko $1,957

Kuala Belait costs about 75% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuala Belait sits 27% above the global median, while Bansko is 28% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.91 BND 10.12

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-8.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.43 BND 59.4

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-0.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.85 BND 10.05

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-12.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 BND 2.57

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.39 BND 3.06

Cappuccino

$4.41 BND 5.64

$2.24 BGN 3.92

96.87%

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

$0.89 BND 1.15

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-40.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 BND 0.64

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-41.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.76 BGN 3.07

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 BGN 3.51

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 BND 2.36

$1.79 BGN 3.14

2.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.43 BND 3.12

$0.81 BGN 1.42

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 BND 2.88

$1.52 BGN 2.66

48.03%

Eggs

$2.58 BND 3.31

$2.30 BGN 4.02

12.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.59 BND 23.80

$9.60 BGN 16.81

93.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.85 BND 12.61

$6.32 BGN 11.06

55.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.88 BND 31.85

$8.64 BGN 15.12

187.96%

Apples (1kg)

$4.69 BND 6.00

$1.28 BGN 2.24

266.41%

Banana (1kg)

$2.17 BND 2.78

$1.68 BGN 2.95

29.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$1.70 BGN 2.98

184.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 BND 3.17

$1.89 BGN 3.30

30.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.71 BND 2.19

$0.93 BGN 1.63

83.87%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 BND 3.71

$0.76 BGN 1.32

281.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.54 BND 7.09

$0.54 BGN 0.95

925.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 BND 1.19

$0.58 BGN 1.02

60.34%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.59 BND 14.84

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.99 BND 7.67

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.86 BND 10.07

$3.44 BGN 6.02

128.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.14 BGN 9.00

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 BGN 1.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 BGN 1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.76 BGN 46.83

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.99 BND 5.11

$1.29 BGN 2.26

209.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.43 BND 4.39

$0.65 BGN 1.14

427.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.59 BND 14.84

$10.18 BGN 17.81

13.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.35 BND 0.45

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-76.67%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

6.52%

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

$27.2K BND 34.9K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

27.01%

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

$38.45 BND 49.23

$91.4 BGN 160

-57.95%

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

$21.58 BND 27.63

$14.68 BGN 25.68

47.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.4 BND 82.4

$12.07 BGN 21.12

433.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 BND 123

$32.28 BGN 56.5

197.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.34 BND 35.00

$8.60 BGN 15.05

217.91%

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BND 7.05

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-2.13%

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

$217 BND 278

$228 BGN 400

-4.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,398 BND 12.0K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

306.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.8 BND 95.8

$30.48 BGN 53.3

145.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$101 BND 129

$19.01 BGN 33.26

429.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$153 BND 196

$45.53 BGN 79.7

235.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.4 BND 91.4

$48.67 BGN 85.2

46.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$753 BND 964

$521 BGN 913

44.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$771 BND 987

$367 BGN 643

109.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 BND 1,527

$634 BGN 1,110

88.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,177 BND 1,506

$558 BGN 976

110.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,204 BGN 2,106

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 BGN 1,699

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,398 BND 4,350

$1,670 BGN 2,923

103.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

2.99

29.77%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 4, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$771 45.3%

Bansko

$367 38% 52.4% $404

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$354 20.8%

Bansko

$193 20% 45.5% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$180 10.6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 64.1% $115

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$145 8.5%

Bansko

$145 15% 0.1% $0.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$124 7.3%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 5% $6.2

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$107 6.3%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 59.3% $63

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 64.9% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $753 in Kuala Belait 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 103% higher in Kuala Belait, 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 $46.00 in Kuala Belait versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $354 in Kuala Belait vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

16:34 4:34 PM

11:34 11:34 AM

5 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

8,000

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.781 USD

1 BND = 0.696 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.781 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.696 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 BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Bansko 9,730 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
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

Kuala Belait vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,699 in Kuala Belait, $970 in Bansko – roughly 75% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,549 per month in Kuala Belait 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 $1,699 in Kuala Belait and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 75%.

Kindergarten costs $217 per month in Kuala Belait 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 Kuala Belait at $1,699. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait 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 $970 in Bansko to $1,699 in Kuala Belait. 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, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.