Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Haskovo and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Haskovo: $832 a month against $1,519 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $8,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Haskovo
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Haskovo Living Index
73

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
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Istanbul Living Index

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Haskovo

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$832

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,519

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $832 in Haskovo versus $1,519 in Istanbul.

Haskovo $832
Istanbul $1,519

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,360 in Haskovo versus $2,365 in Istanbul.

Haskovo $1,360
Istanbul $2,365

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,889 in Haskovo versus $3,212 in Istanbul.

Haskovo $1,889
Istanbul $3,212

Living in Haskovo costs roughly 45% less than in Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Haskovo is 38% below, Istanbul is 12% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.93 BGN 17.27

$11.81 ₺592

-15.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.23 BGN 77.0

$54.9 ₺2,754

-19.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.90 BGN 17.23

$9.26 ₺465

6.91%

Cappuccino

$2.02 BGN 3.52

$4.30 ₺216

-53.02%

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

$1.06 BGN 1.85

$1.77 ₺89.0

-40.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 BGN 1.34

$0.56 ₺28.32

37.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.31 BGN 2.28

$4.69 ₺235

-72.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 BGN 4.84

$7.12 ₺357

-60.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 BGN 2.74

$1.25 ₺62.7

25.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$0.88 ₺44.17

-18.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 BGN 2.76

$2.20 ₺111

-27.73%

Eggs

$3.24 BGN 5.63

$2.43 ₺122

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.19 BGN 17.73

$10.48 ₺526

-2.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.56 BGN 13.16

$5.31 ₺267

42.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.31 BGN 14.46

$21.10 ₺1,058

-60.62%

Apples (1kg)

$1.53 BGN 2.66

$1.86 ₺93.1

-17.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.97 BGN 3.43

$2.30 ₺115

-14.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 BGN 2.50

$1.22 ₺61.0

18.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 BGN 3.18

$1.80 ₺90.2

1.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 BGN 1.33

$0.69 ₺34.83

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 BGN 2.05

$0.64 ₺32.16

84.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 BGN 1.38

$1.36 ₺68.0

-41.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 BGN 1.19

$0.58 ₺28.94

18.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.46 BGN 6.01

$2.34 ₺117

47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.78 BGN 11.80

$13.03 ₺653

-47.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 BGN 1.36

$2.36 ₺118

-66.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 BGN 2.82

$3.32 ₺166

-51.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 BGN 1.18

$0.88 ₺44.07

-22.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.66 BGN 39.43

$66.1 ₺3,316

-65.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 BGN 1.97

$1.28 ₺64.4

-11.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.67 BGN 1.16

$0.85 ₺42.80

-21.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.51 BGN 23.51

$11.09 ₺556

21.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.57 BGN 2.73

$1.48 ₺74.0

6.08%

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

$30.1K BGN 52.4K

$48.6K ₺2.4M

-38.09%

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

$23.7K BGN 41.2K

$42.0K ₺2.1M

-43.66%

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

$91.4 BGN 159

$92.7 ₺4,650

-1.45%

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

$13.06 BGN 22.73

$11.20 ₺562

16.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.33 BGN 16.24

$15.89 ₺797

-41.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.9 BGN 93.7

$74.7 ₺3,745

-27.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.07 BGN 50.6

$22.95 ₺1,151

26.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.90 BGN 13.75

$8.05 ₺404

-1.86%

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

$233 BGN 405

$948 ₺47.6K

-75.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,289 BGN 3,982

$36.9K ₺1.9M

-93.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.18 BGN 80.4

$53.9 ₺2,702

-14.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.54 BGN 51.4

$41.49 ₺2,081

-28.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.3 BGN 122

$101 ₺5,060

-30.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.7 BGN 128

$91.3 ₺4,580

-19.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 BGN 399

$1,014 ₺50.8K

-77.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 BGN 278

$625 ₺31.3K

-74.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$374 BGN 652

$2,005 ₺100.6K

-81.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 BGN 514

$1,126 ₺56.5K

-73.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,236 BGN 2,151

$2,988 ₺149.8K

-58.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$977 BGN 1,699

$1,730 ₺86.8K

-43.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,074 BGN 1,869

$1,136 ₺57.0K

-5.49%

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 Haskovo: November 1, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Haskovo

$207 24.8%

Istanbul

$258 17% 25% $52

Accommodation & Living

Haskovo

$160 19.2%

Istanbul

$625 41.1% 291% $465

Eating Out

Haskovo

$153 18.4%

Istanbul

$221 14.6% 44.5% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Haskovo

$114 13.7%

Istanbul

$120 7.9% 5.3% $6

Clothing & Footwear

Haskovo

$99 11.9%

Istanbul

$129 8.5% 30.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Haskovo

$70 8.4%

Istanbul

$91 6% 30.3% $21

Getting Around

Haskovo

$30 3.6%

Istanbul

$75 5% 152% $45

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $229 in Haskovo and $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Istanbul pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $44 in Haskovo vs $55 in Istanbul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $207 vs $258 per month, with Haskovo cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Haskovo

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

18:59 6:59 PM

19:59 7:59 PM

1 h ahead of Haskovo

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

76,587

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

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Haskovo Istanbul 300 km

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Haskovo
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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

Haskovo vs Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Haskovo wins on cost – living expenses run 45% lower than in Istanbul. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Haskovo the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Haskovo. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $229 in Haskovo versus $1,014 in Istanbul. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Istanbul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Haskovo – a meal for two runs $44 versus $55 in Istanbul. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Haskovo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Haskovo and Istanbul are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Haskovo gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Istanbul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.