Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskenderun and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Iskenderun: $965 a month against $1,585 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Iskenderun
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Iskenderun Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

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Iskenderun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$965

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iskenderun and in Sofia

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

A single person spends $965 per month in Iskenderun vs $1,585 in Sofia, rent included.

Iskenderun $965
Sofia $1,585

A couple spends around $1,450 per month in Iskenderun vs $2,486 in Sofia, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,450
Sofia $2,486

A family of three spends $1,935 per month in Iskenderun vs $3,387 in Sofia, rent included.

Iskenderun $1,935
Sofia $3,387

Iskenderun is about 39% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iskenderun sits 29% below the global median, while Sofia is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.01 ₺301

$16.57 BGN 28.84

-63.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.58 ₺1,480

$67.7 BGN 118

-56.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.11 ₺306

$11.68 BGN 20.33

-47.69%

Cappuccino

$3.08 ₺154

$3.41 BGN 5.93

-9.68%

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

$1.11 ₺55.7

$2.36 BGN 4.11

-52.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 ₺13.52

$1.67 BGN 2.91

-83.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.39 ₺119

$3.99 BGN 6.94

-40.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 ₺132

$4.53 BGN 7.88

-41.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 ₺51.5

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-46.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 ₺39.27

$1.55 BGN 2.70

-49.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.67 ₺83.5

$2.35 BGN 4.09

-28.94%

Eggs

$1.85 ₺92.8

$4.60 BGN 8.00

-59.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 ₺368

$11.47 BGN 19.96

-35.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.92 ₺196

$8.65 BGN 15.04

-54.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.71 ₺886

$17.34 BGN 30.17

2.13%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 ₺80.8

$2.15 BGN 3.73

-24.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.84 ₺92.2

$1.98 BGN 3.45

-7.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.85 ₺42.57

$1.83 BGN 3.18

-53.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 ₺53.6

$4.27 BGN 7.43

-74.94%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 ₺24.54

$1.04 BGN 1.82

-52.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.37 ₺18.65

$0.89 BGN 1.54

-58.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 ₺42.08

$1.19 BGN 2.06

-29.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ₺30.43

$0.83 BGN 1.45

-26.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.11 ₺106

$4.40 BGN 7.66

-52.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.93 ₺497

$7.42 BGN 12.91

33.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.32 ₺116

$1.16 BGN 2.01

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ₺160

$1.90 BGN 3.30

68.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 ₺32.78

$0.92 BGN 1.60

-28.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.11 BGN 48.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 ₺49.29

$1.67 BGN 2.90

-41.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 ₺46.11

$0.85 BGN 1.49

8.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.06 ₺504

$16.59 BGN 28.87

-39.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ₺62.4

$1.74 BGN 3.03

-28.16%

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

$40.5K ₺2.0M

$29.9K BGN 52.1K

35.24%

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

$41.4K ₺2.1M

$25.0K BGN 43.5K

65.62%

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

$88.3 ₺4,419

$158 BGN 275

-44.06%

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

$9.59 ₺480

$21.27 BGN 37.01

-54.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.35 ₺518

$15.12 BGN 26.30

-31.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.34 ₺2,369

$46.85 BGN 81.5

1.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 BGN 48.41

Cinema Ticket

$6.10 ₺305

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-39.00%

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

$443 ₺22.2K

$815 BGN 1,419

-45.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,098 ₺355.2K

$14.6K BGN 25.5K

-51.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,673

$87.1 BGN 152

-38.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.94 ₺1,448

$38.28 BGN 66.6

-24.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 ₺5,644

$106 BGN 184

6.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₺5,413

$107 BGN 187

0.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$428 ₺21.4K

$769 BGN 1,338

-44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$321 ₺16.1K

$593 BGN 1,032

-45.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$704 ₺35.2K

$1,530 BGN 2,662

-53.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$508 ₺25.4K

$1,061 BGN 1,846

-52.14%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,128 ₺56.5K

$4,526 BGN 7,875

-75.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$950 ₺47.5K

$3,109 BGN 5,410

-69.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,122 ₺56.1K

$1,780 BGN 3,098

-36.99%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

1111.07%

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

Last update for Iskenderun: October 31, 2026

Last update for Sofia: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iskenderun

$321 33.3%

Sofia

$593 37.4% 84.7% $272

Groceries & Markets

Iskenderun

$206 21.3%

Sofia

$288 18.2% 39.9% $82

Clothing & Footwear

Iskenderun

$136 14.1%

Sofia

$152 9.6% 11.5% $16

Eating Out

Iskenderun

$126 13.1%

Sofia

$254 16% 101% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskenderun

$108 11.2%

Sofia

$194 12.3% 79.4% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Iskenderun

$60 6.2%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 12.3% $7.3

Getting Around

Iskenderun

$8.2 * 0.9%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 359% $30

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $428 in Iskenderun versus $769 in Sofia. 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 59% higher in Sofia, 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 $30 in Iskenderun versus $68 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $206 vs $288 – making Iskenderun the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Iskenderun

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

01:21 1:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

1 h behind Iskenderun

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

246,639

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.04 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.18 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Iskenderun Sofia 1,290 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Iskenderun
Sofia

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

Iskenderun vs Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sofia is pricier by about 64%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,448 per month in Iskenderun and $2,378 in Sofia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iskenderun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $769 in Sofia.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $965 in Iskenderun and $1,585 in Sofia. That makes Iskenderun about 39% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $443 per month in Iskenderun and $815 in Sofia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Iskenderun – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Iskenderun. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.