Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burgas and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,243 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $3,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
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Burgas Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,243

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burgas and in Istanbul

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burgas and in Istanbul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,243 per month in Burgas vs $1,519 in Istanbul, rent included.

Burgas $1,243
Istanbul $1,519

A couple spends around $1,846 per month in Burgas vs $2,365 in Istanbul, rent included.

Burgas $1,846
Istanbul $2,365

A family of three spends $2,449 per month in Burgas vs $3,212 in Istanbul, rent included.

Burgas $2,449
Istanbul $3,212

Burgas is about 18% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Burgas sits 8% below the global median, while Istanbul is 12% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.26 BGN 23.07

$11.81 ₺592

12.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.43 BGN 77.3

$54.9 ₺2,754

-19.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.60 BGN 20.18

$9.26 ₺465

25.27%

Cappuccino

$3.45 BGN 6.00

$4.30 ₺216

-19.77%

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

$1.05 BGN 1.82

$1.77 ₺89.0

-40.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.56 ₺28.32

28.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BGN 3.41

$4.69 ₺235

-58.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 BGN 4.85

$7.12 ₺357

-60.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 BGN 3.09

$1.25 ₺62.7

42.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.02 BGN 1.77

$0.88 ₺44.17

15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.09 BGN 3.63

$2.20 ₺111

-5.00%

Eggs

$3.40 BGN 5.92

$2.43 ₺122

39.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.21 BGN 17.77

$10.48 ₺526

-2.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.82 BGN 15.34

$5.31 ₺267

66.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.39 BGN 19.81

$21.10 ₺1,058

-46.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 BGN 3.93

$1.86 ₺93.1

21.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$2.30 ₺115

-10.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 BGN 3.60

$1.22 ₺61.0

69.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 BGN 4.31

$1.80 ₺90.2

37.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BGN 2.91

$0.69 ₺34.83

142.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.49 BGN 2.59

$0.64 ₺32.16

132.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 BGN 1.70

$1.36 ₺68.0

-27.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 BGN 1.67

$0.58 ₺28.94

65.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.62 BGN 6.29

$2.34 ₺117

54.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 BGN 12.00

$13.03 ₺653

-47.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 BGN 1.72

$2.36 ₺118

-58.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 BGN 3.19

$3.32 ₺166

-44.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

$0.88 ₺44.07

-1.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.46 BGN 60.0

$66.1 ₺3,316

-47.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.28 ₺64.4

35.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.85 ₺42.80

4.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.16 BGN 24.64

$11.09 ₺556

27.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.70 BGN 2.97

$1.48 ₺74.0

14.86%

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

$30.3K BGN 52.8K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-37.63%

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

$23.3K BGN 40.6K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-44.46%

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

$103 BGN 179

$92.7 ₺4,650

11.07%

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

$14.17 BGN 24.66

$11.20 ₺562

26.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.02 BGN 20.92

$15.89 ₺797

-24.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.55 BGN 63.6

$74.7 ₺3,745

-51.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.56 BGN 25.34

$22.95 ₺1,151

-36.56%

Cinema Ticket

$8.72 BGN 15.17

$8.05 ₺404

8.32%

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

$232 BGN 404

$948 ₺47.6K

-75.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K BGN 19.6K

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-69.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.5 BGN 102

$53.9 ₺2,702

8.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 BGN 51.0

$41.49 ₺2,081

-29.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.2 BGN 124

$101 ₺5,060

-29.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.7 BGN 132

$91.3 ₺4,580

-17.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$583 BGN 1,014

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-42.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$456 BGN 794

$625 ₺31.3K

-26.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 BGN 1,393

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-60.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 BGN 1,100

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-43.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,492 BGN 4,335

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-16.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,900 BGN 3,306

$1,730 ₺86.8K

9.81%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,000 BGN 1,741

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-11.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.25

40.42

-91.96%

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

Last update for Burgas: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Burgas

$456 36.7%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 36.9% $168

Groceries & Markets

Burgas

$249 20%

Istanbul

$258 17% 3.7% $9.3

Eating Out

Burgas

$205 16.5%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 7.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burgas

$129 10.4%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 7.3% $9.4

Clothing & Footwear

Burgas

$106 8.5%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 22.6% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Burgas

$54 4.3%

Istanbul

$91 6% 68.2% $37

Getting Around

Burgas

$44 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 70.3% $31

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $583 in Burgas versus $1,014 in Istanbul. 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 14% higher in Istanbul, 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 $44 in Burgas versus $55 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $249 vs $258 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Burgas

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:41 6:41 PM

19:41 7:41 PM

1 h ahead of Burgas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

189,741

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 →

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Burgas Istanbul 210 km

From you

Burgas
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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

Burgas vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,243 in Burgas, $1,519 in Istanbul – Burgas comes out roughly 18% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,864 per month in Burgas and $2,278 in Istanbul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Burgas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $583 there versus $1,014 in Istanbul.

Public transport costs about 48% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $232 per month in Burgas and $948 in Istanbul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,243 in Burgas and $1,519 in Istanbul, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Burgas has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,243 in Burgas to $1,519 in Istanbul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Burgas. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.