Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siem Reap and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Siem Reap: $806 a month against $956 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Siem Reap
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Siem Reap Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

Jump to prices

Siem Reap

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$806

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$956

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $806 per month in Siem Reap vs $956 in Bansko, rent included.

Siem Reap $806
Bansko $956

A couple spends around $1,247 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,467 in Bansko, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,247
Bansko $1,467

A family of three spends $1,689 per month in Siem Reap vs $1,979 in Bansko, rent included.

Siem Reap $1,689
Bansko $1,979

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

Both Siem Reap and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Siem Reap 40% lower, Bansko 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.43 ៛9,884

$8.66 BGN 15.06

-71.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.16 ៛98.1K

$44.94 BGN 78.2

-46.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.81 ៛31.7K

$8.78 BGN 15.28

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$1.69 ៛6,857

$2.33 BGN 4.05

-27.47%

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

$0.70 ៛2,854

$1.57 BGN 2.74

-55.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.43 ៛1,746

$0.82 BGN 1.43

-47.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ៛4,148

$1.68 BGN 2.92

-39.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ៛8,045

$1.98 BGN 3.45

Milk (1 liter)

$2.14 ៛8,687

$1.73 BGN 3.00

23.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.76 ៛7,159

$0.80 BGN 1.40

120.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.87 ៛3,540

$1.44 BGN 2.51

-39.58%

Eggs

$1.72 ៛6,979

$2.36 BGN 4.10

-27.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.24 ៛61.9K

$9.39 BGN 16.34

62.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.84 ៛11.5K

$6.41 BGN 11.15

-55.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ៛41.5K

$8.48 BGN 14.76

20.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 ៛17.6K

$1.31 BGN 2.28

230.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 ៛5,008

$1.62 BGN 2.82

-24.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.68 ៛14.9K

$1.73 BGN 3.01

112.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 ៛4,431

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-43.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.33 ៛5,415

$0.94 BGN 1.63

41.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 ៛4,534

$0.76 BGN 1.32

47.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.30 ៛5,262

$0.55 BGN 0.95

136.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 ៛3,227

$0.59 BGN 1.02

33.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.41 ៛5,709

$3.25 BGN 5.66

-56.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.75 ៛31.5K

$5.20 BGN 9.05

49.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 ៛4,051

$1.09 BGN 1.89

-8.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 ៛9,162

$1.68 BGN 2.92

34.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 ៛3,949

$0.84 BGN 1.45

15.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.14 ៛61.5K

$27.06 BGN 47.09

-44.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 ៛8,169

$1.34 BGN 2.34

50.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ៛4,103

$0.65 BGN 1.14

55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.99 ៛20.3K

$10.06 BGN 17.51

-50.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ៛5,310

$1.48 BGN 2.57

-11.49%

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

$24.8K ៛100.7M

$29.1K BGN 50.7K

-14.94%

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

$22.7K ៛92.2M

$20.9K BGN 36.4K

8.51%

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

$103 ៛417.4K

$92.4 BGN 161

11.19%

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

$5.82 ៛23.6K

$14.52 BGN 25.26

-59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.37 ៛62.4K

$12.32 BGN 21.43

24.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.20 ៛134.8K

$31.70 BGN 55.2

4.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.27 ៛57.9K

$8.53 BGN 14.84

67.29%

Cinema Ticket

$4.97 ៛20.2K

$5.62 BGN 9.78

-11.57%

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

$283 ៛1.2M

$230 BGN 401

22.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,488 ៛18.2M

$2,268 BGN 3,947

97.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$26.69 ៛108.4K

$30.10 BGN 52.4

-11.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.31 ៛54.0K

$19.62 BGN 34.13

-32.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.5 ៛278.3K

$45.86 BGN 79.8

49.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.31 ៛184.1K

$47.69 BGN 83.0

-4.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 ៛1.3M

$518 BGN 902

-36.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$232 ៛940.8K

$357 BGN 621

-35.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 ៛2.7M

$614 BGN 1,069

8.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$434 ៛1.8M

$569 BGN 990

-23.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,454 ៛10.0M

$1,191 BGN 2,073

106.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,099 ៛4.5M

$959 BGN 1,669

14.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$239 ៛969.1K

$1,704 BGN 2,965

-86.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.2

2.99

207.69%

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

Last update for Siem Reap: October 11, 2026

Last update for Bansko: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Siem Reap

$235 29.2%

Bansko

$192 20.1% 18.4% $43

Accommodation & Living

Siem Reap

$232 28.7%

Bansko

$357 37.3% 54.1% $125

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siem Reap

$124 15.4%

Bansko

$119 12.5% 3.8% $4.7

Eating Out

Siem Reap

$77 9.5%

Bansko

$145 15.2% 89.5% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Siem Reap

$69 8.6%

Bansko

$64 6.7% 6.9% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Siem Reap

$43 5.4%

Bansko

$43 4.5% 0.4% $0.2

Getting Around

Siem Reap

$26 3.2%

Bansko

$35 3.7% 34.2% $8.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $329 in Siem Reap 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 614% 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 $24.00 in Siem Reap versus $45.00 in Bansko. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Siem Reap vs $192 in Bansko – so Bansko wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇭 Siem Reap

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

10:09 10:09 AM

4 h behind Siem Reap

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

171,800

8,000

💱 Currency

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.19 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.511 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to KHR – Cambodian Riel Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇭 Cambodian Riel (៛)

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4,062 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.46 USD). 1 EUR = 4,567 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.19 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 KHR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Siem Reap Bansko 8,230 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Siem Reap
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

Siem Reap vs Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $806 in Siem Reap, $956 in Bansko – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,209 per month in Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap, 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 $24.00 in Siem Reap 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 $806 in Siem Reap and $956 in Bansko. That's a gap of about 19%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Siem Reap, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Bansko at $956. In Siem Reap 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 $806 in Siem Reap 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 Siem Reap. 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.