Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medan and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Medan: $613 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Medan
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Medan Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Medan

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$613

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $613 per month in Medan vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Medan $613
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $940 per month in Medan vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Medan $940
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,266 per month in Medan vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Medan $1,266
Bansko $1,979

Medan is about 36% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Medan and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Medan 55% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.71 Rp 30.7K

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-80.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.30 Rp 148.9K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-81.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.95 Rp 52.8K

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-66.40%

Cappuccino

$1.53 Rp 27.4K

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-34.33%

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

$0.35 Rp 6,195

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-77.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 Rp 4,520

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-69.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 Rp 29.8K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-1.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 Rp 64.4K

$1.98 BGN 3.45

81.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 Rp 19.9K

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-35.84%

White Bread (500g)

$1.18 Rp 21.1K

$0.80 BGN 1.40

47.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 Rp 14.6K

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-43.75%

Eggs

$1.32 Rp 23.7K

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-44.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.12 Rp 145.7K

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-13.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.59 Rp 64.4K

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-43.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.36 Rp 114.1K

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 Rp 43.0K

$1.31 BGN 2.28

83.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.05 Rp 18.8K

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-35.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

$1.73 BGN 3.01

-17.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.93 Rp 16.7K

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-52.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 Rp 15.1K

$0.94 BGN 1.63

-10.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 Rp 32.2K

$0.76 BGN 1.32

136.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.38 Rp 6,883

$0.55 BGN 0.95

-30.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 Rp 7,847

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-25.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 Rp 51.5K

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-11.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.72 Rp 282.0K

$5.20 BGN 9.05

202.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 Rp 32.8K

$1.09 BGN 1.89

67.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.0K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

79.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,801

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-67.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.93 Rp 106.4K

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-78.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 Rp 9,157

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-61.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.19 Rp 3,454

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-70.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 BGN 17.51

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 Rp 14.4K

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-45.95%

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

$24.7K Rp 442.7M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-15.35%

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

$32.2K Rp 578.0M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

53.98%

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

$84.8 Rp 1.5M

$92.4 BGN 161

-8.21%

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

$3.17 Rp 56.8K

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-78.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.57 Rp 423.0K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

91.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.95 Rp 304.1K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-46.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 Rp 151.0K

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-1.41%

Cinema Ticket

$3.29 Rp 59.1K

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-41.46%

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

$112 Rp 2.0M

$230 BGN 401

-51.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,692 Rp 30.4M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-25.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 Rp 972.8K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

80.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.53 Rp 691.4K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

96.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 Rp 1.9M

$45.86 BGN 79.8

135.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 Rp 2.0M

$47.69 BGN 83.0

132.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$233 Rp 4.2M

$518 BGN 902

-55.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.8 Rp 1.6M

$357 BGN 621

-74.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 Rp 8.9M

$614 BGN 1,069

-19.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 Rp 3.8M

$569 BGN 990

-62.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 Rp 20.8M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

-2.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$560 Rp 10.0M

$959 BGN 1,669

-41.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$215 Rp 3.9M

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-87.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.25

2.99

209.36%

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

Last update for Medan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Medan

$181 29.5%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 6.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Medan

$140 22.9%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 54% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medan

$112 18.2%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 6.9% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Medan

$90 14.6%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 298% $267

Eating Out

Medan

$59 9.6%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 148% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Medan

$24 3.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 82.5% $19

Getting Around

Medan

$8.5 1.4%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 314% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $233 in Medan 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 692% higher in Bansko, 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 $8.00 in Medan versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $181 vs $192 – making Medan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Medan

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

22:49 10:49 PM

4 h behind Medan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,097,610

8,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 17,943 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.57 USD). 1 EUR = 20,174 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.96 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Medan Bansko 8,520 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Medan
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

Medan vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $613 in Medan, $956 in Bansko – roughly 56% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $920 per month in Medan 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 Medan, 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 $8.00 in Medan 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 $613 in Medan and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 56%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Medan, where all-in costs run around $613, than in Bansko at $956. In Medan it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bansko 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 $613 in Medan to $956 in Bansko. 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 Medan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Bansko makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.