Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Polonnaruwa and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $506 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Polonnaruwa
Learn more

Polonnaruwa Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $506
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $821 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $821
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,136 per month in Polonnaruwa vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Polonnaruwa $1,136
Bansko $1,979

Polonnaruwa is about 47% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Polonnaruwa and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Polonnaruwa 63% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.44 LKR 1,472

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-48.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.02 LKR 7,957

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-46.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.53 LKR 2,495

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-14.24%

Cappuccino

$2.39 LKR 792

$2.33 BGN 4.05

2.58%

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

$0.68 LKR 226

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-56.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.6

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-69.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 718

$1.68 BGN 2.92

29.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,026

$1.98 BGN 3.45

56.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 516

$1.73 BGN 3.00

-9.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$0.80 BGN 1.40

-28.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 250

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-47.22%

Eggs

$1.59 LKR 526

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-32.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.60 LKR 4,505

$9.39 BGN 16.34

44.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.88 LKR 1,618

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-23.87%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.63 LKR 2,527

$8.48 BGN 14.76

-10.02%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 LKR 2,213

$1.31 BGN 2.28

409.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 260

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-51.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.58 LKR 1,517

$1.73 BGN 3.01

164.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-37.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 343

$0.94 BGN 1.63

10.64%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 271

$0.76 BGN 1.32

7.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 288

$0.55 BGN 0.95

58.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.59 BGN 1.02

-27.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.41 LKR 3,447

$3.25 BGN 5.66

220.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.63 LKR 4,515

$5.20 BGN 9.05

162.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$1.09 BGN 1.89

81.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,014

$1.68 BGN 2.92

82.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.84 BGN 1.45

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.06 BGN 47.09

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 133

$1.34 BGN 2.34

-70.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.65 BGN 1.14

-43.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-91.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 LKR 455

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-7.43%

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

$36.3K LKR 12.0M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

24.65%

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

$41.1K LKR 13.6M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

96.52%

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

$53.9 LKR 17.8K

$92.4 BGN 161

-41.73%

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

$4.26 LKR 1,412

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-70.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.44 LKR 6,770

$12.32 BGN 21.43

65.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.70 BGN 55.2

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.53 BGN 14.84

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,485

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-20.28%

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

$38.00 LKR 12.6K

$230 BGN 401

-83.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,192 LKR 394.8K

$2,268 BGN 3,947

-47.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.97 LKR 5,953

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-40.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.63 LKR 5,508

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-15.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.8 LKR 26.4K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

74.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-11.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$518 BGN 902

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 BGN 621

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 BGN 1,069

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 BGN 990

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 BGN 2,073

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$959 BGN 1,669

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,704 BGN 2,965

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

2.99

324.41%

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

Last update for Polonnaruwa: 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

Polonnaruwa

$238 47.1%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 19.4% $46

Eating Out

Polonnaruwa

$108 21.3%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 35.2% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Polonnaruwa

$79 15.5%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 51.8% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.9%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 8.5% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Polonnaruwa

$9 * 1.8%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 379% $34

Getting Around

Polonnaruwa

$2.3 * 0.5%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 1450% $33

Accommodation & Living

Polonnaruwa

- * 0%

Bansko

$357 37.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Polonnaruwa versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Polonnaruwa vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

13:55 1:55 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

2 h 30 min behind Polonnaruwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

8,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.511 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Polonnaruwa Bansko 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Polonnaruwa
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

Polonnaruwa vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Polonnaruwa, $956 in Bansko – roughly 89% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Polonnaruwa and $1,434 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $506 in Polonnaruwa and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 89%.

Kindergarten costs $38.00 per month in Polonnaruwa and $230 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Bansko at $956. In Polonnaruwa 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 $506 in Polonnaruwa 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 Polonnaruwa. 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.