Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Machakos and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Machakos: $522 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Machakos
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Machakos Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Machakos

🇰🇪 Kenya

$522

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $522 per month in Machakos vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Machakos $522
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $806 per month in Machakos vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Machakos $806
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,091 per month in Machakos vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Machakos $1,091
Bansko $1,989

Machakos is about 46% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Machakos and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Machakos 61% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.14 KES 408

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-64.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.49 KES 2,530

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-57.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 KES 847

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-26.91%

Cappuccino

$1.95 KES 253

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-16.31%

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

$0.70 KES 90.3

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-53.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 KES 69.2

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-36.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 KES 268

$1.75 BGN 3.05

17.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 KES 356

$2.01 BGN 3.49

36.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.40 KES 51.7

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-76.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 57.8

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-47.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 KES 104

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-45.21%

Eggs

$1.42 KES 185

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-39.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,425

$9.54 BGN 16.60

15.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.48 KES 841

$6.30 BGN 10.96

2.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.72 KES 613

$8.64 BGN 15.04

-45.37%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 KES 203

$1.32 BGN 2.29

18.94%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 KES 105

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-50.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.39 KES 51.0

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-77.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.37 KES 47.86

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-80.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-17.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 KES 96.3

$0.72 BGN 1.26

2.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 96.9

$0.55 BGN 0.96

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.51

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-37.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.58 KES 465

$3.33 BGN 5.79

7.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.74 KES 1,524

$5.08 BGN 8.84

131.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 KES 251

$1.12 BGN 1.95

72.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 351

$1.73 BGN 3.01

56.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.74 KES 96.5

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-54.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-12.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 KES 373

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-71.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 KES 195

$1.50 BGN 2.61

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-33.09%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

0.93%

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

$56.7 KES 7,366

$92.5 BGN 161

-38.68%

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

$7.73 KES 1,004

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-47.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.47 KES 1,489

$12.13 BGN 21.11

-5.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.34 KES 4,977

$31.84 BGN 55.4

20.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,010

$5.51 BGN 9.59

41.20%

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

$46.01 KES 5,973

$227 BGN 395

-79.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

415.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.44 KES 1,485

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-62.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.26 KES 3,929

$18.95 BGN 32.97

59.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,929

$45.80 BGN 79.7

50.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.58 KES 5,009

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 KES 12.2K

$510 BGN 887

-81.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$68.4 KES 8,880

$364 BGN 634

-81.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$153 KES 19.9K

$624 BGN 1,085

-75.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 KES 14.9K

$566 BGN 985

-79.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$382 KES 49.6K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-77.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.71

2.99

391.97%

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

Last update for Machakos: November 1, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Machakos

$163 31.2%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 18.7% $30

Eating Out

Machakos

$89 17%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 66% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Machakos

$76 14.6%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 57% $43

Accommodation & Living

Machakos

$68 13.1%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 433% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Machakos

$67 12.9%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 3.7% $2.5

Sport & Entertainment

Machakos

$54 10.3%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 20.5% $11

Getting Around

Machakos

$4.7 * 0.9%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 677% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $94 in Machakos versus $510 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 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Machakos versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $163 vs $193 – making Machakos the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Machakos

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

01:05 1:05 AM

1 h behind Machakos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

114,109

8,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Machakos Bansko 5,020 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Machakos
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

Machakos vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $522 in Machakos, $968 in Bansko – Machakos comes out roughly 46% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $782 per month in Machakos and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Machakos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $94 there versus $510 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $522 in Machakos and $968 in Bansko. That makes Machakos about 46% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $46 per month in Machakos and $227 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Machakos, where all-in costs run around $522, than in Bansko at $968. In Machakos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Machakos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Machakos. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.