Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Malindi and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $518 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 Malindi
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Malindi Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Malindi vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Malindi $518
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $804 per month in Malindi vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Malindi $804
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,090 per month in Malindi vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Malindi $1,090
Bansko $1,989

Malindi is about 47% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Malindi and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Malindi 62% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.09 KES 271

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-76.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.46 KES 3,306

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-43.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.50 KES 1,364

$8.92 BGN 15.52

17.71%

Cappuccino

$2.69 KES 349

$2.33 BGN 4.06

15.45%

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

$0.70 KES 90.2

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-53.02%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 KES 61.7

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-42.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.30 KES 298

$1.75 BGN 3.05

31.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.35 KES 434

$2.01 BGN 3.49

66.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 KES 126

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-43.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.7

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-41.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 KES 156

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-17.81%

Eggs

$1.75 KES 227

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 KES 1,496

$9.54 BGN 16.60

20.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 KES 621

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-23.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.12 KES 664

$8.64 BGN 15.04

-40.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 KES 270

$1.32 BGN 2.29

57.58%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 KES 94.6

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-55.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 KES 231

$1.74 BGN 3.02

2.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.9

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-65.98%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 KES 94.8

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-23.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.65 KES 84.7

$0.72 BGN 1.26

-9.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.57 KES 73.6

$0.55 BGN 0.96

3.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 KES 58.6

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.96 KES 514

$3.33 BGN 5.79

18.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.40 KES 1,220

$5.08 BGN 8.84

85.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 KES 258

$1.12 BGN 1.95

77.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 KES 384

$1.73 BGN 3.01

71.10%

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)

$3.00 KES 390

$1.64 BGN 2.85

82.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.76 KES 229

$0.91 BGN 1.59

93.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.57 KES 593

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-54.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 KES 178

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-8.67%

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

$11.9K KES 1.5M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-58.39%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-44.29%

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

$78.4 KES 10.2K

$92.5 BGN 161

-15.26%

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

$9.34 KES 1,213

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-35.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.01 KES 4,026

$12.13 BGN 21.11

155.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.98 KES 5,061

$31.84 BGN 55.4

22.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$15.11 KES 1,962

$5.51 BGN 9.59

174.23%

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

$87.1 KES 11.3K

$227 BGN 395

-61.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,436 KES 705.8K

$2,311 BGN 4,021

135.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.86 KES 1,670

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-57.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.57 KES 1,762

$18.95 BGN 32.97

-28.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.27 KES 3,022

$45.80 BGN 79.7

-49.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.24 KES 6,003

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-4.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 KES 50.8K

$624 BGN 1,085

-37.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

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)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

334.78%

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

Last update for Malindi: 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

Malindi

$171 33.1%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 12.6% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Malindi

$119 22.9%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 0.4% $0.5

Eating Out

Malindi

$103 20%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 42.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Malindi

$69 13.4%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 38% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Malindi

$43 8.3%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 49.7% $21

Getting Around

Malindi

$12 * 2.3%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 212% $25

Accommodation & Living

Malindi

- * 0%

Bansko

$364 37.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Malindi versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $193 – making Malindi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Malindi

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

21:41 9:41 PM

20:41 8:41 PM

1 h behind Malindi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

8,000

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.85 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 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 = 6.85 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Malindi Bansko 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Malindi
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

Malindi vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $518 in Malindi, $968 in Bansko – Malindi comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $776 per month in Malindi and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $518 in Malindi and $968 in Bansko. That makes Malindi about 47% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $87 per month in Malindi 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 Malindi, where all-in costs run around $518, than in Bansko at $968. In Malindi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.