Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pekanbaru and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Pekanbaru: $628 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Pekanbaru
Learn more

Pekanbaru Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Pekanbaru

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$628

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $628 per month in Pekanbaru vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Pekanbaru $628
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $983 per month in Pekanbaru vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Pekanbaru $983
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,339 per month in Pekanbaru vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Pekanbaru $1,339
Bansko $1,979

Pekanbaru is about 34% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Pekanbaru and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Pekanbaru 53% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.43 Rp 25.8K

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-83.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$8.20 Rp 147.6K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-81.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-72.55%

Cappuccino

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-44.21%

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

$0.58 Rp 10.4K

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-63.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 Rp 5,954

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-59.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 Rp 37.3K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 Rp 62.1K

$1.98 BGN 3.45

74.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.30 Rp 23.3K

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-24.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 Rp 20.6K

$0.80 BGN 1.40

43.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.89 Rp 16.1K

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-38.19%

Eggs

$1.68 Rp 30.3K

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-28.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.30 Rp 131.3K

$9.39 BGN 16.34

-22.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.37 Rp 42.7K

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-63.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.49 Rp 116.9K

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-23.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 Rp 48.5K

$1.31 BGN 2.28

106.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 Rp 30.6K

$1.62 BGN 2.82

4.94%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 Rp 43.4K

$1.73 BGN 3.01

39.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 Rp 22.8K

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-34.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 Rp 22.3K

$0.94 BGN 1.63

31.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$0.76 BGN 1.32

151.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 Rp 13.5K

$0.55 BGN 0.95

36.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 Rp 6,350

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-40.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 Rp 38.9K

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-33.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.45 Rp 386.0K

$5.20 BGN 9.05

312.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 Rp 34.3K

$1.09 BGN 1.89

75.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 Rp 54.2K

$1.68 BGN 2.92

79.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 Rp 5,230

$0.84 BGN 1.45

-65.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.44 Rp 152.0K

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-68.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 Rp 16.6K

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-31.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.40 Rp 7,154

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-38.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.68 Rp 48.2K

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-73.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.76 Rp 13.6K

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-48.65%

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

$23.3K Rp 418.9M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-20.14%

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

$26.0K Rp 468.5M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

24.42%

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

$62.1 Rp 1.1M

$92.4 BGN 161

-32.84%

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

$5.99 Rp 107.9K

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-58.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.78 Rp 428.1K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

93.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.34 Rp 510.2K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

-10.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.31 Rp 149.7K

$8.53 BGN 14.84

-2.58%

Cinema Ticket

$3.03 Rp 54.6K

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-46.09%

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

$96.0 Rp 1.7M

$230 BGN 401

-58.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,773 Rp 139.9M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

242.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$31.96 Rp 575.3K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

6.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.42 Rp 511.6K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

44.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 Rp 985.5K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.8 Rp 1.5M

$47.69 BGN 83.0

69.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$262 Rp 4.7M

$518 BGN 902

-49.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$145 Rp 2.6M

$357 BGN 621

-59.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 Rp 9.7M

$614 BGN 1,069

-12.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$356 Rp 6.4M

$569 BGN 990

-37.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,070 Rp 19.3M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

-10.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$807 Rp 14.5M

$959 BGN 1,669

-15.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 Rp 3.2M

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-89.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.46

2.99

216.39%

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

Last update for Pekanbaru: 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

Pekanbaru

$201 32%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 4.5% $9

Accommodation & Living

Pekanbaru

$145 23.1%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 147% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pekanbaru

$92 14.6%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 29.8% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Pekanbaru

$88 14%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 26.9% $24

Eating Out

Pekanbaru

$55 8.8%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 164% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Pekanbaru

$34 5.5%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 24.8% $8.5

Getting Around

Pekanbaru

$13 2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 180% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $262 in Pekanbaru 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 868% 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 Pekanbaru versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Pekanbaru vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Pekanbaru

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

10:16 10:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

4 h behind Pekanbaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,020,308

8,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 19, 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

Pekanbaru Bansko 8,970 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Pekanbaru
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

Pekanbaru vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $628 in Pekanbaru, $956 in Bansko – roughly 52% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $942 per month in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru, 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 Pekanbaru 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 $628 in Pekanbaru and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 52%.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Pekanbaru, where all-in costs run around $628, than in Bansko at $956. In Pekanbaru 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 $628 in Pekanbaru 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 Pekanbaru. 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.