Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pasay and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Pasay: $907 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $590 less a year. The total is higher in Bansko despite lower rent and utilities.

44

Cost of Living Index in Pasay
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Pasay Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Pasay

🇵🇭 Philippines

$907

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $907 per month in Pasay vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Pasay $907
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,237 per month in Pasay vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Pasay $1,237
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,567 per month in Pasay vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Pasay $1,567
Bansko $1,979

Pasay is about 5% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pasay and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Pasay 33% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ₱277

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-49.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.94 ₱1,193

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-57.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.84 ₱179

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-67.65%

Cappuccino

$2.26 ₱142

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-3.00%

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

$0.59 ₱37.36

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-62.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ₱19.20

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-63.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-30.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.58 ₱99.3

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-20.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.71 ₱108

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-1.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 ₱71.4

$0.80 BGN 1.40

41.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.97 ₱61.4

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-32.64%

Eggs

$1.96 ₱123

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-16.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.15 ₱324

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-45.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 ₱260

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-35.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.18 ₱452

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-15.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.24 ₱141

$1.31 BGN 2.28

70.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 ₱96.4

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-5.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.31 ₱146

$1.73 BGN 3.01

33.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ₱73.2

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-40.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 ₱149

$0.94 BGN 1.63

152.13%

Onion (1kg)

$3.34 ₱211

$0.76 BGN 1.32

339.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 ₱78.7

$0.55 BGN 0.95

127.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ₱55.0

$0.59 BGN 1.02

47.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.88 ₱181

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-11.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.68 ₱483

$5.20 BGN 9.05

47.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ₱61.7

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-10.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 ₱111

$1.68 BGN 2.92

5.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 ₱10.43

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-79.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 ₱48.72

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-42.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.21 ₱13.20

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-67.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.87 ₱118

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-81.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ₱78.1

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-16.22%

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

$21.5K ₱1.4M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-26.17%

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

$19.2K ₱1.2M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

-8.03%

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

$139 ₱8,741

$92.4 BGN 161

50.21%

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

$14.54 ₱916

$14.52 BGN 25.26

0.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.75 ₱1,558

$12.32 BGN 21.43

100.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.70 ₱3,003

$31.70 BGN 55.2

50.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$5.26 ₱331

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-6.41%

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

$71.9 ₱4,524

$230 BGN 401

-68.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,541 ₱160.0K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

12.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$35.39 ₱2,228

$30.10 BGN 52.4

17.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.32 ₱1,217

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-1.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.6 ₱4,505

$45.86 BGN 79.8

56.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.6 ₱4,004

$47.69 BGN 83.0

33.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 ₱27.0K

$518 BGN 902

-17.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$312 ₱19.7K

$357 BGN 621

-12.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$827 ₱52.1K

$614 BGN 1,069

34.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 ₱22.9K

$569 BGN 990

-36.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,891 ₱119.0K

$1,191 BGN 2,073

58.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$575 ₱36.2K

$959 BGN 1,669

-40.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$510 ₱32.1K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-70.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

134.11%

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

Last update for Pasay: October 12, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pasay

$313 34.5%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 14.2% $44

Groceries & Markets

Pasay

$186 20.6%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 2.9% $5.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pasay

$178 19.7%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 33% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Pasay

$85 9.4%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 24.5% $21

Eating Out

Pasay

$83 9.2%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 74.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Pasay

$58 6.4%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 26.2% $15

Getting Around

Pasay

$2.5 * 0.3%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 1312% $33

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $429 in Pasay 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 234% 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 $19.00 in Pasay versus $45.00 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $186 vs $192 – making Pasay the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Pasay

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

20:54 8:54 PM

5 h behind Pasay

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

416,522

8,000

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 62.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.79 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 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 PHP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pasay Bansko 9,540 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pasay
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

Pasay vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $907 in Pasay, $956 in Bansko – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,360 per month in Pasay 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 Pasay, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $907 in Pasay and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 5%.

Kindergarten costs $71.9 per month in Pasay and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Pasay, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Bansko at $956. In Pasay 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 $907 in Pasay 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 Pasay. 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.