Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Miri and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Miri: $814 a month against $970 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Bansko outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

39

Cost of Living Index in Miri
Learn more

Miri Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Miri

🇲🇾 Malaysia

$814

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$970

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $814 per month in Miri vs $970 in Bansko, rent included.

Miri $814
Bansko $970

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Miri vs $1,464 in Bansko, rent included.

Miri $1,247
Bansko $1,464

A family of three spends $1,680 per month in Miri vs $1,957 in Bansko, rent included.

Miri $1,680
Bansko $1,957

Miri is about 16% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Miri and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Miri 39% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.43 MYR 14.02

$8.66 BGN 15.15

-60.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.16 MYR 49.65

$46.63 BGN 81.6

-73.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.55 MYR 18.58

$9.01 BGN 15.77

-49.50%

Cappuccino

$2.30 MYR 9.40

$2.24 BGN 3.92

2.68%

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

$0.78 MYR 3.17

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-48.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 MYR 1.24

$0.86 BGN 1.51

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.96 MYR 12.10

$1.76 BGN 3.07

68.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 MYR 15.59

$2.00 BGN 3.51

91.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.40 MYR 5.72

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-21.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.81 MYR 7.40

$0.81 BGN 1.42

123.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.94 MYR 3.85

$1.52 BGN 2.66

-38.16%

Eggs

$3.50 MYR 14.27

$2.30 BGN 4.02

52.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 BGN 16.81

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 MYR 19.58

$6.32 BGN 11.06

-24.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.10 MYR 61.6

$8.64 BGN 15.12

74.77%

Apples (1kg)

$1.28 BGN 2.24

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 MYR 8.01

$1.68 BGN 2.95

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 BGN 2.98

Tomato (1kg)

$1.89 BGN 3.30

Potato (1kg)

$0.93 BGN 1.63

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.32

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.54 BGN 0.95

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.36 MYR 1.47

$0.58 BGN 1.02

-37.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.35 MYR 17.77

$3.44 BGN 6.02

26.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.28 MYR 78.7

$5.14 BGN 9.00

275.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 MYR 12.59

$1.11 BGN 1.94

177.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 MYR 9.85

$1.70 BGN 2.97

41.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MYR 2.09

$0.88 BGN 1.55

-42.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.41 MYR 58.8

$26.76 BGN 46.83

-46.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 MYR 4.87

$1.29 BGN 2.26

-7.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 MYR 2.60

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-1.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.05 MYR 24.71

$10.18 BGN 17.81

-40.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.65 MYR 2.64

$1.50 BGN 2.63

-56.67%

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

$51.0K MYR 208.3K

$28.8K BGN 50.4K

77.07%

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

$32.7K MYR 133.3K

$21.5K BGN 37.5K

52.22%

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

$49.79 MYR 203

$91.4 BGN 160

-45.55%

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

$9.53 MYR 38.91

$14.68 BGN 25.68

-35.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.24 MYR 136

$12.07 BGN 21.12

175.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.63 MYR 121

$32.28 BGN 56.5

-8.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.17 MYR 25.21

$8.60 BGN 15.05

-28.26%

Cinema Ticket

$4.45 MYR 18.18

$5.63 BGN 9.86

-20.96%

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

$102 MYR 416

$228 BGN 400

-55.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,641 MYR 27.1K

$2,311 BGN 4,045

187.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.13 MYR 180

$30.48 BGN 53.3

44.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$22.74 MYR 92.9

$19.01 BGN 33.26

19.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.2 MYR 230

$45.53 BGN 79.7

23.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.80 MYR 175

$48.67 BGN 85.2

-12.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$341 MYR 1,390

$521 BGN 913

-34.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$280 MYR 1,145

$367 BGN 643

-23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$596 MYR 2,435

$634 BGN 1,110

-5.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$594 MYR 2,425

$558 BGN 976

6.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,219 MYR 4,977

$1,204 BGN 2,106

1.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$671 MYR 2,741

$971 BGN 1,699

-30.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$692 MYR 2,826

$1,670 BGN 2,923

-58.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.12

2.99

37.79%

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

Last update for Miri: October 5, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Miri

$280 35.2%

Bansko

$367 38% 31% $87

Groceries & Markets

Miri

$194 * 24.4%

Bansko

$193 20% 0.5% $0.9

Eating Out

Miri

$96 12%

Bansko

$145 15% 52.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Miri

$93 11.6%

Bansko

$118 12.2% 27.7% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Miri

$75 9.4%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 13.4% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Miri

$39 4.8%

Bansko

$44 4.5% 13% $5

Getting Around

Miri

$21 2.6%

Bansko

$35 3.6% 67.3% $14

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $341 in Miri 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 141% 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 $12.00 in Miri versus $47.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Miri vs $193 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇾 Miri

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

17:04 5:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

5 h behind Miri

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

248,877

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 = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.08 MYR (1 MYR = 0.245 USD). 1 EUR = 4.58 MYR (1 MYR = 0.218 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 MYR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Miri Bansko 9,720 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Miri
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

Miri vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $814 in Miri, $970 in Bansko – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,221 per month in Miri 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 Miri, 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 $12.00 in Miri and $47.00 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 $814 in Miri and $970 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Miri, where all-in costs run around $814, than in Bansko at $970. In Miri 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 $814 in Miri to $970 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 Miri. 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.