Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $721 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$721

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $721 per month in Mombasa vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Mombasa $721
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $1,150 per month in Mombasa vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Mombasa $1,150
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,578 per month in Mombasa vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Mombasa $1,578
Bansko $1,989

Mombasa is about 26% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mombasa and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Mombasa 47% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 KES 357

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-68.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.43 KES 3,303

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-44.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.28 KES 1,335

$8.92 BGN 15.52

15.25%

Cappuccino

$2.68 KES 348

$2.33 BGN 4.06

15.02%

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

$0.69 KES 89.5

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-53.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.4

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-37.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 304

$1.75 BGN 3.05

33.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 KES 430

$2.01 BGN 3.49

64.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 KES 127

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-43.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 KES 64.8

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-41.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 KES 199

$1.46 BGN 2.55

4.79%

Eggs

$1.76 KES 228

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-24.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.92 KES 1,808

$9.54 BGN 16.60

45.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 KES 642

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-21.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.41 KES 703

$8.64 BGN 15.04

-37.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.09 KES 271

$1.32 BGN 2.29

58.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 KES 154

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-27.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$1.74 BGN 3.02

5.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.2

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-62.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$0.95 BGN 1.66

-24.21%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$0.72 BGN 1.26

47.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.1

$0.55 BGN 0.96

9.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 KES 54.6

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-28.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.10 KES 532

$3.33 BGN 5.79

23.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,241

$5.08 BGN 8.84

88.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 KES 250

$1.12 BGN 1.95

71.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 KES 371

$1.73 BGN 3.01

64.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-10.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.88 KES 5,049

$27.08 BGN 47.11

43.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 KES 411

$1.64 BGN 2.85

93.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.91 BGN 1.59

92.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.70 KES 611

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-53.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$1.50 BGN 2.61

6.67%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-58.65%

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

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-42.72%

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

$79.4 KES 10.3K

$92.5 BGN 161

-14.14%

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

$9.00 KES 1,168

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-38.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.29 KES 4,583

$12.13 BGN 21.11

190.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.93 KES 2,329

$31.84 BGN 55.4

-43.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 KES 2,496

$8.46 BGN 14.72

127.19%

Cinema Ticket

$15.25 KES 1,980

$5.51 BGN 9.59

176.77%

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

$87.3 KES 11.3K

$227 BGN 395

-61.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,448 KES 707.5K

$2,311 BGN 4,021

135.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.90 KES 1,675

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-57.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.67 KES 1,775

$18.95 BGN 32.97

-27.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.36 KES 3,033

$45.80 BGN 79.7

-49.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.73 KES 6,068

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-3.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 KES 29.7K

$510 BGN 887

-55.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 KES 20.5K

$364 BGN 634

-56.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$533 KES 69.2K

$624 BGN 1,085

-14.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$373 KES 48.4K

$566 BGN 985

-34.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,392 KES 700.1K

$1,166 BGN 2,028

362.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,834 KES 497.9K

$969 BGN 1,686

295.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.7K

$1,680 BGN 2,923

-81.36%

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 Mombasa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.7%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 4.1% $7.7

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$158 21.9%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 130% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$124 17.2%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 3.6% $4.5

Eating Out

Mombasa

$108 15%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 36.3% $39

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 31.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$48 6.7%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 11.5% $5.6

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 48.6% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $229 in Mombasa 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 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mombasa versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $185 vs $193 – making Mombasa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

03:45 3:45 AM

02:45 2:45 AM

1 h behind Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

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 6, 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 6, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Bansko 5,360 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
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

Mombasa vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $721 in Mombasa, $968 in Bansko – Mombasa comes out roughly 26% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,082 per month in Mombasa 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 Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $510 in Bansko.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mombasa and $45 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 $721 in Mombasa and $968 in Bansko. That makes Mombasa about 26% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $721 in Mombasa and $968 in Bansko, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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