Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Bulgaria: $1,168 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

56

Cost of Living Index in Bulgaria
Learn more

Bulgaria Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

Jump to prices

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,168

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Bulgaria is 16.4% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 23.1% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Bulgaria is 15% cheaper than Istanbul without rent, and 25.6% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.51 BGN 20.03

$11.81 ₺592

-2.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.07 BGN 80.2

$54.9 ₺2,754

-16.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.27 BGN 17.87

$9.26 ₺465

10.91%

Cappuccino

$2.48 BGN 4.32

$4.30 ₺216

-42.33%

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

$1.59 BGN 2.76

$1.77 ₺89.0

-10.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 BGN 2.15

$0.56 ₺28.32

119.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.27 BGN 3.96

$4.69 ₺235

-51.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.28 BGN 5.70

$7.12 ₺357

-53.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 BGN 3.10

$1.25 ₺62.7

42.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 BGN 1.92

$0.88 ₺44.17

25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.22 BGN 3.86

$2.20 ₺111

0.91%

Eggs

$3.53 BGN 6.15

$2.43 ₺122

45.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.30 BGN 17.92

$10.48 ₺526

-1.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 BGN 13.88

$5.31 ₺267

50.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.28 BGN 23.12

$21.10 ₺1,058

-37.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.03

$1.86 ₺93.1

-6.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 BGN 3.45

$2.30 ₺115

-13.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 BGN 3.17

$1.22 ₺61.0

49.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.72 BGN 4.74

$1.80 ₺90.2

51.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 BGN 1.86

$0.69 ₺34.83

55.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$0.64 ₺32.16

65.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 BGN 1.81

$1.36 ₺68.0

-23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.70 BGN 1.21

$0.58 ₺28.94

20.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.84 BGN 6.68

$2.34 ₺117

64.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 BGN 11.98

$13.03 ₺653

-47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 BGN 1.90

$2.36 ₺118

-53.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 BGN 2.97

$3.32 ₺166

-48.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.88 ₺44.07

1.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 48.97

$66.1 ₺3,316

-57.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.71 BGN 2.97

$1.28 ₺64.4

33.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 BGN 1.57

$0.85 ₺42.80

5.88%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.17 BGN 22.92

$11.09 ₺556

18.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 BGN 2.84

$1.48 ₺74.0

10.14%

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

$30.6K BGN 53.3K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.06%

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

$24.3K BGN 42.3K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-42.12%

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

$128 BGN 223

$92.7 ₺4,650

38.21%

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

$18.77 BGN 32.66

$11.20 ₺562

67.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.49 BGN 23.47

$15.89 ₺797

-15.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.81 BGN 62.3

$74.7 ₺3,745

-52.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.28 BGN 31.80

$22.95 ₺1,151

-20.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.45 BGN 14.71

$8.05 ₺404

4.97%

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

$573 BGN 998

$948 ₺47.6K

-39.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.7K BGN 20.4K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-68.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.7 BGN 102

$53.9 ₺2,702

8.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.16 BGN 57.7

$41.49 ₺2,081

-20.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 BGN 155

$101 ₺5,060

-11.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.1 BGN 152

$91.3 ₺4,580

-4.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$476 BGN 828

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 BGN 643

$625 ₺31.3K

-40.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$819 BGN 1,425

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-59.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$568 BGN 988

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-49.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,283 BGN 3,972

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-23.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,641 BGN 2,856

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-5.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,120 BGN 1,948

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-1.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

40.42

-92.18%

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

Last update for Bulgaria: October 31, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bulgaria

$370 31.7%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 68.9% $255

Groceries & Markets

Bulgaria

$244 20.9%

Istanbul

$258 17% 5.7% $14

Eating Out

Bulgaria

$182 15.6%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 21.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bulgaria

$160 13.7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 25.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Bulgaria

$121 10.3%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 7.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Bulgaria

$53 4.5%

Istanbul

$91 6% 72.2% $38

Getting Around

Bulgaria

$38 3.3%

Istanbul

$75 5% 98.3% $37

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

12:59 12:59 PM

13:59 1:59 PM

1 h ahead of Bulgaria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

6,795,803

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bulgaria Istanbul 500 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bulgaria
Istanbul

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

Bulgaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bulgaria and Istanbul

TRY, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Bulgaria

Istanbul

Bulgaria

Istanbul

Bulgaria vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries

🇷🇴 Romania

🇹🇷 Turkey

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇷🇸 Serbia

🇬🇪 Georgia

🇹🇼 Taiwan

🇦🇱 Albania

🇲🇩 Moldova