Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Labuan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Bansko: $956 a month against $1,020 in Labuan, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Labuan despite lower rent and utilities.

48

Cost of Living Index in Labuan
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Labuan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Labuan

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$1,020

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,020 per month in Labuan vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Labuan $1,020
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,487 per month in Labuan vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Labuan $1,487
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,953 per month in Labuan vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Labuan $1,953
Bansko $1,979

Labuan costs about 7% more than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Labuan and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Labuan 24% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 MYR 22.53

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-36.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 MYR 98.6

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MYR 27.19

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-24.15%

Cappuccino

$3.93 MYR 16.05

$2.33 BGN 4.05

68.67%

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

$1.06 MYR 4.34

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-32.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.45 MYR 1.83

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-45.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.72 MYR 15.19

$1.68 BGN 2.92

121.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 MYR 18.48

$1.98 BGN 3.45

128.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 MYR 7.43

$1.73 BGN 3.00

5.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 MYR 4.26

$0.80 BGN 1.40

30.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 MYR 6.07

$1.44 BGN 2.51

3.47%

Eggs

$2.10 MYR 8.58

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-11.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.82 MYR 68.6

$9.39 BGN 16.34

79.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.42 MYR 18.03

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-31.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.50 MYR 38.76

$8.48 BGN 14.76

12.03%

Apples (1kg)

$3.17 MYR 12.95

$1.31 BGN 2.28

141.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 MYR 7.46

$1.62 BGN 2.82

12.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 MYR 9.75

$1.73 BGN 3.01

38.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 MYR 7.17

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-9.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 MYR 5.68

$0.94 BGN 1.63

47.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 MYR 4.20

$0.76 BGN 1.32

35.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 MYR 4.81

$0.55 BGN 0.95

114.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 MYR 2.20

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-8.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.04 MYR 20.57

$3.25 BGN 5.66

55.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.29 MYR 66.5

$5.20 BGN 9.05

213.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.21 MYR 13.11

$1.09 BGN 1.89

194.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 MYR 17.90

$1.68 BGN 2.92

161.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-7.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.66 MYR 43.48

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-60.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 MYR 5.47

$1.34 BGN 2.34

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 MYR 1.97

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-26.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.48 MYR 26.43

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-35.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.88 MYR 3.58

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-40.54%

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

$44.0K MYR 179.5K

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

50.98%

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

$32.5K MYR 132.7K

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

55.49%

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

$48.90 MYR 199

$92.4 BGN 161

-47.10%

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

$9.68 MYR 39.49

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-33.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.69 MYR 113

$12.32 BGN 21.43

124.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.60 MYR 170

$31.70 BGN 55.2

31.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.68 MYR 31.32

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-9.96%

Cinema Ticket

$4.29 MYR 17.51

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-23.67%

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

$208 MYR 849

$230 BGN 401

-9.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,011 MYR 28.6K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

209.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 MYR 228

$30.10 BGN 52.4

85.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.07 MYR 123

$19.62 BGN 34.13

53.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.0 MYR 355

$45.86 BGN 79.8

89.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.8 MYR 334

$47.69 BGN 83.0

71.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$433 MYR 1,768

$518 BGN 902

-16.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$342 MYR 1,397

$357 BGN 621

-4.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$641 MYR 2,614

$614 BGN 1,069

4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 MYR 1,892

$569 BGN 990

-18.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,282 MYR 9,308

$1,191 BGN 2,073

91.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,136 MYR 4,636

$959 BGN 1,669

18.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$374 MYR 1,525

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-78.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.06

2.99

35.79%

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

Last update for Labuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Labuan

$342 33.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 4.2% $14

Groceries & Markets

Labuan

$264 25.9%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 27.4% $72

Eating Out

Labuan

$145 14.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

Labuan

$115 11.2%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 43.7% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Labuan

$86 8.5%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 38.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Labuan

$50 4.9%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 14.4% $7.2

Getting Around

Labuan

$18 1.7%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 99.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $433 in Labuan 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.

Salaries run about 356% higher in Bansko, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Labuan versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $264 in Labuan vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Labuan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

12:40 12:40 PM

07:40 7:40 AM

5 h behind Labuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

95,120

8,000

💱 Currency

Malaysian Ringgit MYR RM

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 MYR = 0.245 USD

1 MYR = 0.218 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.59 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to MYR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Labuan Bansko 9,760 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Labuan
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

Labuan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,020 in Labuan, $956 in Bansko – roughly 7% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,530 per month in Labuan and $1,434 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Labuan and $45.00 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 $1,020 in Labuan and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Bansko, where all-in costs run around $956, than in Labuan at $1,020. In Bansko it covers expenses comfortably, while in Labuan 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 $956 in Bansko to $1,020 in Labuan. 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, Labuan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.